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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 


PRESENTED  BY 

PROF.  CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 

MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


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A^~  (L- 


THE  WONDERS 


THE  GREAT  DEEP; 


PHYSICAL,  ANIMAL,  GEOLOGICAL,  AND  VEGETABLE 


CURIOSITIES  OF  THE  OCEAN. 


BY 

P.    H.    GOSSE, 

AUTHOR  OF  "ROMANCE  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY.' 


NEW  YORK: 

JOHN  W.  LOVELL  COMPANY, 

150  Worth  Street. 


'L.r+LS 


GfoT 
6 


L\  b  v 


The  Whale  Fishery 


PREFACE. 

In  the  following  pages,  the  Author  has  endeavoured  to  describe, 
•with  some  minuteness  of  detail,  a  few  of  the  many  objects  of  in- 
terest more  or  less  directly  connected  with  the  Sea,  and  especially 
to  lead  youthful  readers  to  associate  with  the  phenomena  of  Nature, 
habitual  thoughts  of  God.  A  subject  so  vast  as  the  Ocean  might 
be  viewed  in  a  variety  of  aspects,  all  of  them  more  or  less  instruc- 
tive: the  one  which  has  been  chosen  is  that  in  which  it  presents 
itself  to  the  mind  of  a  naturalist,  desirous  of  viewing  the  Almighty 
Creator  in  His  works.  The  selections  are  made  chiefly  from  marine 
botany,  zoology,  meteorology,  the  fisheries,  the  varying  aspects  of 
island  and  coast  scenery,  incidents  of  navigation,  &c,  arranged  (if 
such  a  word  be  not  inapplicable)  in  the  order  of  geographical 
distribution ;  as  they  might  be  supposed  to  present  themselves  to 
the  notice  of  an  observant  voyager. 

It  may  be  thought  that  the  Author  has  touched  too  frequently,  or 
dwelt  with  too  great  prolixity,  on  objects  minute  in  themselves,  and 

a  2  (5j 


W349771 


6  PREFACE. 

by  the  generality  of  persons  considered  insignificant  and  unworthy 
of  regard.  If  apology  for  this  be  necessary,  he  presents  it  in  the 
words  of  Samuel  Purchas: — "  Nicostratus  in  ./Elian,  finding  a 
curious  piece  of  wood,  and  being  wondered  at  by  one,  and  asked 
what  pleasure  he  could  take  to  stand,  as  he  did,  still  gazing  on  the 
picture,  answered,  « Hadst  thou  mine  eyes,  my  friend,  thou  wouldst 
not  wonder,  but  rather  be  ravished,  as  I  am,  at  the  inimitable  art 
of  this  rare  and  admirable  piece.'  I  am  sure  no  picture  can  ex- 
press so  much  wonder  and  excellency  as  the  smallest  insect,  but  we 
want  Nicostratus  his  eyes  to  behold  them. 

"  And  the  praise  of  God's  wisdom  and  power  lies  asleep  and  dead 
in  every  creature,  until  man  actuate  and  enliven  it.  I  cannot, 
therefore,  altogether  conceive  it  unworthy  of  the  greatest  mortals 
to  contemplate  the  miracles  of  Nature;  and  that  as  they  are  more 
visible  in  the  smallest  and  most  contemptible  creatures  (for  there 
most  lively  do  they  express  the  infinite  power  and  wisdom  of  the 
great  Creator),  and  erect  and  draw  the  minds  of  the  most  intelligent 
to  the  first  and  prime  Cause  of  all  things ;  teaching  them  as  the 
power,  so  the  presence,  of  the  Deity  in  the  smallest  insects." 


CONTENTS. 


INTRODUCTION. 

PAGH 

Beauty  and  Grandeur  of  the  Sea — Commercial  Importance — 
Early  Notices  of  Navigation — Proportion  of  Sea  to  Land — Changes 
in  its  Outline — Depths  of  the  Ocean — Saltness — Loss  by  Evapora- 
tion— Supplied  by  Rivers — Motions  of  the  Sea — Tides — Currents 
— The  Gulf-Stream — Origin  of  the  Phenomenon — Familiar  Illus- 
tration— Local  Currents — Winds — Trade-winds — Monsoons — Land 
and  Sea-Breezes — Waves — Power  of  God — Man's  Insensibility — 
Reflections         .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .13 

I.  THE  SHORES   OF  BRITAIN. 

Instruction  to  be  gained  at  Home  as  well  as  Abroad — Wisdom  in 
Minutiae  of  Creation — Habitually  Submerged  Beetle — Marine  Water- 
fleas — Sea-weeds — Of  various  Interest — Manufacture  of  Kelp — Sea 
and  Black  Wraak — Knotted  Wrack — Sea-lace — Various  Provi- 
sions for  securing  Buoyancy — Sea-weeds  used  as  Food — Dulse — 
Tangle — Sea-furbelows — Henware — English  Dulse — Laver — Carra- 
geen Moss — Sea-thong — Peacock's-tail — Delesseria — Landscape — 
Sea-weeds — Parasitical  Sea-weeds — Divine  Care  for  these  Produc- 
tions— Corallines — Uses — Sponge — Animal  Flowers — Singular  in- 
stance of  Voracity — Aggregate  Polypes — Cows'-paps — Corals — Sea- 
fan — Sea-pen      .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .35 

II.  THE   SHORES   OF   BRITAIN,  continued. 

Fisheries — Structure  of  Fishes — Scales — Fins — Air-bladder — Mo- 
tion— Spines — Fruitfulness    of    Fishes — Migrations — The    Herring 

(7) 


8  CONTENTS. 

PAGK 

Fishery — Singular  stranding  of  a  Shoal — Mackerel — Cod — Cod-pools 
— Flat-fishes — Crab — Lobster — Shrimp — Prawn — The  Crab  and  the 
Baillie — Shelled  Mollusca — Improperly  called  Fishes — Interesting 
Variations  of  Structure — Cliffs  of  Orkney — Sea-bird  Catching — Peril- 
ous Enterprises — Gannets  .  .  .  .  .  .77 

III.  THE  ARCTIC  SEAS. 
The  Spirit  of  Geographical  Discovery  peculiar  to  Modern  Times — 
Commercial  Enterprise — Whale  Fishing — Majesty  of  Polar  Seas — ■ 
Ooastof  Spitzbergen — Finecontrastsof  Hue  — Clearness  of  Atmosphere 
— Deceptive  Distance  of  Land — Architectural  Regularity  of  Rocks — 
The  Three  Crowns — Ice — Icebergs — Beauty — Vast  Size — Varying 
Forms — Overturning — Sudden  Rupture — Process  of  Formation — Ice 
Islands — Disruption  of  One — Marine  Ice — Formation — Ice  Fields — 
Irresistible  when  in  Motion — Perpendicular  Ice-needles — Continual 
daylight  in  Summer — Phenomena  of  Winter — Aurora — Mock  Suns — 
Fog  Bow  —  Looming  —  Curious  Results — Inversion  —  Ice-Blink  — 
Effects  of  Intense  Cold — Frost  Crystals — Their  exceeding  Beauty — 
Snow  Stars — Antiseptic  Power  of  Frost — Ship  tenanted  by  a  Corpse 
. — Vegetation — Whale — Interesting  Peculiarities  in  its  Conformation 
■ — Whalebone — Arterial  Reservoir  of  Blood — Blowhole — Windpipe 
-—Eye — Blubber — Reflections  on  the  Goodness  of  God — Whale  Fish- 
ery— Accidents— Rorqual — Structure  of  its  Mouth — Enemies  of  the 
Whales — Arctic  Shark — Thresher — Sword-fish — Narwhal — Use  of  its 
singular  Horn — Torpidity  of  Mackerel — Sea-Blubber — Arctic  Clio — 
'•Green-water" — Microscopic  Animalcules — Dissecting  Crab  .  .  115 

IV.  THE  ATLANTIC  OCEAN. 
Form  of  the  Atlantic — Its  Bays  and  Inland  Seas — Extent  of  Coast 
— Sig'atof  Land — Azores — Picturesque  Appearance — Peak  of  Pico — 
The  Atlantis  of  the  Ancients — Islands  swallowed  up  in  Modern  Times 
— Submarine  Volcano — Stormy  Petrels — A  Shoal  of  Dolphins — Their 
Gambols — Capture  of  One — Gulf-weed — Barnacles — Ocean  Crabs — 
Toad-fish — "Calm  Latitudes" — Heat  of  the  Sun— Gorgeous  Sunsets 
— Southern  Constellations — The  Cross — Tropic  Fishes — Coryphcne 
— Pursuit  of  Flying-fish — White  Shark — Bod  Physiognomy — Fero- 
city— Teeth — Struct  are  of  its  Eg£ —  Hammer-Shark — Saw-fish — Cap- 
ture of  One — Horned  Ray — Contact  of  Ships  at  Sea  —  A  Preeze — 
The  Pilot-fish — Rudder-fish — Sucking-fish — Possible  use  of  its  Disk 
— West  India  Isles — Their  varied  Beauty — Mangrove  Tree — Green 
Hue  of  shallow  Water — Deceptive  Effect — Bottom  of  the  Se:v — Green 
Turtle — Peculiar  Structure  of  the  Heart"- Brilliance  of  the  Fishes — 
Yellow-iiu— Market-fish—  Hog-fish— Cat-fish— Cow-Whale    .  .  169 


CONTENTS. 


V.  THE   PACIFIC   OCEAN. 

Discovery  of  the  Pacific — Voyage  of  Magellan — Sea-weeds — 
Elephant-seal  —  Fur-seal —  Sea-lions — Sea-bear —  Penguins  —  Sperm 
Whale — Adventurous  Characterof  the  Fishery — Destruction  of  a  Ship 
by  a  Whale — Appearance  and  Habits — Regularity  of  its  Motions — Its 
Enemies — Breaching — Its  Food — Description  of  the  Fishery — Narra- 
tive of  a  Chase — Strange  Sail — Speaking  at  Sea — Amusing  Mistake  .  225 

VI.  THE  PACIFIC   OCEAN,  continued. 

Islands  of  the  South  Sea — Coral  Islands — Reef — Lagoon — Forma- 
tion of  Coral — Animals — Structure  of  a  Coral  Island — Various  Species 
of  Corals — Rate  of  Activity — Lines  from  Montgomery — Crystal  Island 
— Caverns — Interesting  Legend — Volcanic  Island — Natural  and 
Moral  Beauty — Advanced  Civilization — Reef — Islands  at  Openings 
— Beauty  of  Lagoon — Moonlight — Night  at  Sea — Natives  swimming 
in  the  Surf — Sharks — Canoes — Origin  of  the  Population — Various 
modes  of  Fishing — Pens — Rafts — Poison — Nets — Spear — Fishing  by 
Torchlight — Hooks — Angling — Albacore—  Sword-fish — Predaceous 
Habits  of  Fishes — Crabs — Animal-flowers — Cuttle — Oceanic  Birds — 
Tropic-bird  —  Albatross  —  Booby  —  Frigate-bird  —  Immense  Assem- 
blage of  Birds     ........  265 

VII.  THE   INDIAN   OCEAN. 

Indian  Archipelago — Proa  of  the  Ladrones — Malay  Pirates — 
Number  and  Beauty  of  small  Islands — Houses  over  the  Sea — Chinese 
Junks — Typhoon — Waterspouts — A  Chinese  Wreck — Esculent  Birds'- 
nests — Their  Nature — Modes  of  obtaining  them — Value — Use — Sea- 
weeds— Trepang — Change  of  the  Monsoon — Coming  in  of  the  Bore — 
Beauty  and  singularity  of  Fishes — Curious  Mode  of  Fishing — Violet- 
snail —  Portuguese  Man-of-war — Sallee-tuan- — Glass-shells — Clamp — 
Pearls — Fishery — Floating-weeds — Pelicans — Luminosity  of  the  Sea 
— Various  kinds  of  Luminous  Animals — Conclusion  .  a  .  323 

viir  MAN'S  SUBMARINE  WORK. 

Great  Progress Diving  Bell Walking  on  the  Bottom  pf  the  Sea- 
Treasures   Secured — Method  of    Descending — How    the    Diver    works 

under  the  Ocean- — Improvements Diving  Armor — How  made — How 

the    Diver   breathes — Steel  knap-sack — Air  Bubbles — Divers  Mask — 
Muddy  water — Electric  Light — Burns  under  water — Entering  the  Cabins 
of  sunken  Vessels — Gathering  Treasures— Fearful  sights— Dead  bodies 

in  motion — Attacked  by  Sea  monsters — Under  great  pressure Lowest 

dopth  ha  can  work— Atlantic  Cable— when  first  laid— Streugth  of  Cable 

ts  weight — ^Flashes  of  light  used  as  signals — The  Cables  in  use  inlS73    o-a 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Longship's  Lighthouse — Frontispiece.  TASE 

Whale  Fishery 5 

Marine  Entomostraca  (Cythere  albo-maculata  and   Cyclops  chelifer)     38 
The  Sea-girdle  (Laminaria  digitata)  .......     4T 

The  Sea-furbelows  (Laminaria  bulbosa)  ......         49 

The  Peacock's  Tail  (Padina  pavonia) 56 

Bryopsis  plumosa    ..........         58 

Coralline  ( Corallina  officinalis) 61 

Sea-fan  (Gorgonia  fiabellum),  and  Sea-pen  (Pennatula  jiliosphorea)     75 

Scales  of  Fishes 80 

Yarmouth  Jetty  in  the  Herring  Fishery 89 

Mackerel  Boat  off  Hastings 91 

Turbot  Boat  off  Scarborough 94 

Crab-pots 100 

The  Shrimper      ............  102 

Fowling  in  Orkney 108 

Guillemot  and  (J  an  net •         •         •         .110 

The  Bass-Rock Ill 

Iceberg  seen  in  Baffin's  Bay 120 

Swell  among  Ice 121 

Ships  beset  in  Ice 122 

Aurora  Borealis       ....■  ....131 

Mock-Suns  ...........  135 

Distortions  of  Irregular  Refraction •       138 

Sperm  Whale  attacked  by  Sword-fish 159 

Spearing  the  Narwhal 163 

Food  of  the  Whale:  1,  Limacina  helicina:  2,  3,  4,  Medusa:  5,  Clio 
borealis     ....  .....••       166 

(11) 


12  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGB 

Pico 172 

Submarine  Volcano 176 

The  Southern  Cross 193 

Coryphene  (Corypkcena)         ........       194 

Pursuit  of  Flying-fish 197 

Hammer-Shark  (Zygrxna  malleus),  and  Saw-fish  [Pristis  antiquorum)  206 
Balboa  discovers  the  Pacific       ........  226 

Elephant-Seals,  fighting 230 

Penguins 237 

Coral  Island 266 

Section  of  Coral  Island       .........  274 

Crystal  Islands        .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .281 

Volcanic  Islands 286 

Bolabola 290 

White  Shark 300 

Fishing  by  Torchlight 309 

Polynesian  Fishing-tackle 311 

Angling  in  a  Double  Canoe    .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .313 

Proas  of  the  Ladrones 332 

Chinese  Junks         ..........       339 

Ship  under  bare  poles         . -34"> 

Waterspouts    ...........       345 

Sea-Cucumbers  (H6lothuri<x) 355 

Class  Shells  (Hyalea  tridentata  and  Cleadara  pyramxdata      .         .       304 
Noctiluca  miliaria,  greatly  magnified 377 


THE      OCEAN. 


INTRODUCTION. 

Who  ever  gazed  upon  the  broad  sea  without 
emotion?  Whether  seen  in  stern  majesty,  hoary 
with  the  tempest,  rolling  its  giant  waves  upon  the 
rocks,  and  dashing  with  resistless  fury  some  gallant 
bark  on  an  iron-bound  coast;  or  sleeping  beneath 
the  silver  moon,  its  broad  bosom  broken  but  by  a 
gentle  ripple,  just  enough  to  reflect  a  long  line  of 
light,  a  path  of  gold  upon  a  pavement  of  sapphire ; 
who  has  looked  upon  the  sea  without  feeling  that  it 
has  power 

"To  stir  the  soul  with  thoughts  profound?" 

Perhaps  there  is  no  earthly  object,  not  even  the 
cloud-cleaving  mountains  of  an  alpine  country,  so 
sublime  as  the  sea  in  its  severe  and  naked  simplicity. 
Standing  on  some  promontory  whence  the  eye  roams 
far  out  upon  the  unbounded  ocean,  the  soul  expands, 
and  we  conceive  a  nobler  idea  of  the  majesty  of  that 
God,  who  holdeth  "the  waters  in  the  hollow  of  His 
hand."  But  it  is  only  when  on  a  long  voyage, 
climbing  day  after  day  to  the  giddy  elevation  of  the 

B  (13) 


14  THE    OCEAN. 

mast-head,  one  still  discerns  nothing  in  the  wide  cir- 
cumference but  the  same  boundless  waste  of  waters, 
that  the  mind  grasps  anything  approaching  an  ade- 
quate idea  of  the  grandeur  of  the  Ocean.  There  is 
a  certain  indefiniteness  and  mystery  connected  with 
it  in  various  aspects  that  gives  it  a  character  widely 
different  from  that  of  the  land.  At  times,  in  pecu- 
liar states  of  the  atmosphere,  the  boundary  of  the 
horizon  becomes  undistinguishable,  and  the  surface, 
perfectly  calm,  reflects  the  pure  light  of  heaven  in 
every  part,  and  we  seem  alone  in  infinite  space,  with 
nothing  around  that  appears  tangible  and  real  save  the 
ship  beneath  our  feet.  At  other  times,  particularly 
in  the  clear  waters  of  the  tropical  seas,  we  look  down- 
ward unmeasured  fathoms  beneath  the  vessel's  keel, 
but  still  find  no  boundary ;  the  sight  is  lost  in  one 
uniform  transparent  blueness.  Mailed  and  glitter- 
ing creatures  of  strange  forms  suddenly  appear,  play 
a  moment  in  our  sight,  and  Avith  the  velocity  of 
thought  have  vanished  in  the  boundless  depths.  The 
very  birds  that  we  see  in  the  wide  waste  are  mys- 
terious ;  we  wonder  whence  they  come,  whither  they 
go,  how  they  sleep,  homeless,  and  shelterless  as  they 
seem  to  be.  The  breeze,  so  fickle  in  its  visitings, 
rises  and  dies  away ;  "  but  thou  knowest  not  whence 
it  cometh  and  whither  it  goeth ;"  the  night-wind 
moaning  by,  soothes  the  watchful  helmsman  with 
gentle  sounds  that  remind  him  of  the  voices  of  be- 
loved ones  far  away ;  or  the  tempest  shrieking  and 
groaning  among  the  cordage  turns  him  pale  with  the 
idea  of  agony  and  death.  But  God  is  there;  lonely 
though  the  mariner   feel,  and  isolated  in  his  separa- 


INTRODUCTION.  15 

tion  from  home  and  friends,  God  is  with  him.  often 
unrecognized  and  forgotten,  but  surrounding  him 
with  mercy,  protecting  him  and  guiding  him,  and 
willing  to  cheer  him  by  the  visitations  of  His  grace, 
and  the  assurance  of  His  love.  "  If  I  take  the  wings 
of  the  morning  and  dwell  in  the  utmost  parts  of 
the  sea;  even  there  shall  Thy  hand  lead  me,  and 
Thy  right  hand  shall  hold  me." 

The  Ocean  is  the  highway  of  commerce.  God 
seems  wisely  and  graciously  to  have  ordained,  that 
man  should  not  be  independent,  but  under  perpetual 
obligation  to  his  fellow-man ;  and  that  distant  coun- 
tries should  ever  maintain  a  mutually-beneficial  de- 
pendence on  each  other.  He  might  with  ease  have 
made  every  land  to  produce  every  necessary  and  com- 
fort of  life  in  ample  supply  for  its  own  population  ; 
in  which  case,  considering  the  fallen  nature  of  man, 
it  is  probable  the  only  intercourse  between  foreign 
nations  would  have  been  that  of  mutual  aggression 
and  bloodshed.  But  he  has  ordered  otherwise  ;  and 
the  result  has  been,  generally,  that  happy  inter- 
change of  benefits  which  constitutes  commerce.  It  is 
lamentably  true,  that  the  evil  passions  of  men  have 
often  perverted  the  facilities  of  communication  for 
purposes  of  destruction ;  yet  the  sober  verdict  of 
mankind  has  for  the  most  part  been,  that  the  sub- 
stantial blessings  of  friendly  commerce  are  prefer- 
able to  the  glare  of  martial  glory.  But  the  trans- 
port of  goods  of  considerable  bulk  and  weight,  or 
of  such  as  are  of  a  very  perishable  nature,  would  be 
so  difficult  by  land,  as  very  materially  to  increase 
their  cost;  while  land  communication  between  coun- 


J  6  THE    OCEAN. 

tries  many  thousand  miles  apart  would  be  attended 
with  dilHculties  so  great  as  to  be  practically  insur- 
mountable. Add  to  this  the  natural  barriers  pre- 
sented by  lofty  mountain  ranges  and  impassable 
rivers,  as  well  as  the  dangers  arising  from  ferocious 
animals  and  from  hostile  nations,  and  we  shall  see 
that  with  the  existing  power  and  skill  of  man,  com- 
merce in  such  a  condition  would  be  almost  unknown, 
and  man  would  be  little  removed  from  a  state  of  bar- 
barism. The  Ocean,  however,  spreading  itself' over 
three-fourths  of  the  globe,  and  penetrating  with  in- 
numerable sinuosities  into  the  land,  so  as  to  bring, 
with  the  aid  of  the  great  rivers,  the  facilities  of  navi- 
gation comparatively  near  to  every  country,  affords 
a  means  of  transport  unrivalled  for  safety,  speed,  and 
convenience.  In  very  early  ages  men  availed  them- 
selves of  naval  communication.  We  find  repeated 
mention  made  of  ships  by  Moses;*  and  in  the 
dying  address  of  the  patriarch  Jacob  to  his  sons,  he 
speaks  of  "a  haven  for  ships ;"f  while  Job,  who 
was  probably  contemporary  with  Abraham,  alludes 
to  them  as  an  emblem  of  swiftness,:}:  which  would 
seem  to  imply  that  navigation  had  then  attained 
considerable  perfection,  nearly  four  thousand  years 
ago.  In  profane  history  the  earliest  mention  of 
navigation  is  that  of  the  voyage  of  the  ship  Argo 
into  the  Euxine,  which  took  place  probably  about 
three  thousand  years  ago.  What  a  contrast  be- 
tween her  timorous  and  creeping  course,  and  the 
arrowy  speed  and  precision  of  a  modern  Atlantic 

*  Nun.b.  xxiv.  24;  and  Dent  xxviii.  68.  f  Gen.  xlix.  13. 

%  Job  ix.  26. 


INTRODUCTION.  17 

steam-sliip,  rushing  to  her  destination  without  asking 
aid  from  wind  or  tide! 

The  proportion  which  the  sea  bears  to  the  land 
in  extent  of  surface  has  been  ascertained  with  to- 
lerable accuracy,  by  carefully  cutting  out  the  one 
from  the  other,  as  represented  on  the  gores  of  a 
large  terrestrial  globe,  and  weighing  the  two  por- 
tions of  paper  separately  in  a  very  delicate  balance. 
The  ratio  of  the  water  to  the  land  is  found  to  be 
about  2f  to  1:  the  surface  of  the  former  being 
about  one  hundred  and  forty-four  millions  of  square 
miles,  and  that  of  the  latter  about  fifty-two  mil- 
lions. Vast,  however,  as  is  the  sea,  and  mighty  in  its 
rage,  it  is  restrained  by  the  hand  of  Him  that  made 
it.  Water  was  once  the  instrument  of  vengeance 
upon  a  guilty  world,  but  he  hath  made  a  cove- 
nant with  man,  that  never  again  shall  the  waters 
become  a  flood  to  destroy  the  earth.  He  "shut  up 
the  sea  with  doors,  when  it  brake  forth  as  if  it  had 
issued  out  of  the  womb;  when  He  made  the  cloud 
the  garment  thereof,  and  thick  darkness  a  swad- 
dling-band  for  it;  and  brake  up  for  it  His  decreed 
place,  and  set  bars  and  doors,  and  said,  Hither- 
to shalt  thou  come,  but  no  further,  and  here  shall 
thy  proud  waves  be  stayed!"*  Slight  changes  are, 
it  is  true,  going  on  in  the  course  of  ages,  in  the 
relative  positions  of  the  land  and  sea,  but  these  are 
minute  in  their  extent  and  slow  in  their  operation. 
By  the  sand  and  mud,  which  are  continually  brought 
down  by  the  rivers  and  deposited  in  the  sea,  banks 
and  points  of  land  are  formed   and  perpetually  in- 

*  Job  xxxviii.  8-11. 
2  b2 


18  THE    OCEAN. 

creased,  as  is  particularly  the  case  at  the  mouths  of 
the  Ganges  and  Mississippi;  while  from  the  same 
cause  the  bottoms  of  inland  seas  being  gradually 
raised,  the  water  rises  in  the  same  proportion  and 
encroaches  on  the  land.  The  port  of  Ravenna,  once 
a  rendezvous  for  the  Roman  fleets,  has  been  filled 
up  by  the  deposition  of  the  Montone,  a  small  river, 
so  that  now  it  is  four  miles  from  the  sea.  On  the 
other  hand  the  palace  of  the  Emperor  Tiberius  at 
Capraea,  on  the  opposite  shore  of  Italy,  is  now  wholly 
covered  by  the  water:  nor  are  our  own  coasts,  and 
especially  those  of  Holland,  deficient  in  examples  of 
once  fertile  fields,  which  are  now  rolled  over  by  the 
tide. 

Much  ignorance  prevails  respecting  the  depth  of 
the  Ocean:  in  many  places  no  length  of  sounding 
line  has  yet  been  able  to  reach  the  bottom,  and, 
therefore,  our  conclusions  must  be  formed  from  in- 
ference or  indirect  evidence.  Generally,  where  a 
coast  is  flat  and  low,  the  water  is  shallow  for  a  con- 
siderable distance,  slowly  deepening;  on  the  other 
hand,  a  high  and  mountainous  coast  usually  is 
washed  by  deep  water,  and  a  ship  may  lie  almost 
close  to  the  rocks.  From  these  circumstances,  as 
well  as  from  the  various  depths  actually  observed  by 
sounding,  it  is  probable  that  the  average  depth  of 
the  sea  is  not  greater  than  the  height  of  the  land, 
in  proportion  to  its  extent.  If  we  were  to  place 
a  thick  coating  of  wax  over  the  bottom  of  a  dish, 
taking  care  to  make  a  very  irregular  surface,  with 
cavities  and  prominences  of  all  forms  and  sizes,  we 
should  probably  have  a  fair  idea  of  the  solid  surface 


INTRODUCTION.  19 

of  the  globe.  Let  us  then  pour  water  upon  it  until 
the  surface  of  the  water  should  equal  that  part  which 
is  exposed,  and  it  is  clear  the  average  depth  of  the 
one  would  be  equal  to  the  average  height  of  the 
other.  But  if  we  increase  the  quantity  of  water 
until  the  proportion  is  as  three  to  one,  it  is  evident 
the  depth  will  have  increased  in  the  same  ratio.  We 
may,  therefore,  with  high  probability,  conclude  that, 
as  the  greatest  height  of  the  land  is  about  five  miles, 
the  greatest  depth  of  the  water  does  not  much 
exceed  twelve  or  thirteen ;  while  the  average  depth 
ma}'  be  about  two  or  three. 

Every  one  is  aware  of  the  saltness  of  the  sea. 
It  has  been  assumed  that  its  object  is  to  prevent 
stagnation  and  putrescence.  But  this  reason  does 
not  appear  to  be  the  correct  one,  for  large  masses 
of  fresh  water,  such  as  inland  lakes,  do  not  stag- 
nate. Strictly  speaking,  however,  water  cannot 
putrefy ;  when  a  small  body  of  it  becomes  offensive, 
it  is  on  account  of  the  decomposition  of  vegetable 
or  animal  matters  contained  in  it.  But  organized 
substances  will  decompose,  and  consequently  become 
offensive  in  salt  water  as  well  as  in  fresh,  as  may 
be  easily  proved  by  experiment.  Perhaps  the 
reason  for  the  Ocean's  saltness  may  be  the  increase 
of  its  weight  without  the  increase  of  its  bulk;  for 
the  decrease  of  specific  gravity  of  so  large  a  portion 
of  the  globe  would  materially  affect  the  motions 
of  the  earth,  and  perhaps  derange  the  whole  con- 
stitution of  things.  The  increase  of  its  specific 
gravity  makes  it  more  buoyant,  and  every  one  is 
aware  with  how  much  less  effort  a  bather  swims  in 


20  THE    OCEAN. 

the  sea  than  in  a  river.  Now,  superior  buoyancy 
seems  an  important  advantage  in  a  fluid  which  bears 
on  its  bosom  the  commerce  of  the  world.  It  is 
highly  probable,  then,  that  our  gracious  God  had 
the  convenience  and  benefit  of  man  in  view  when 
he  ordained  the  sea  to  be  salt.  The  Ocean  contains 
three  parts  in  every  hundred  of  saline  matter,  chiefly 
muriate  of  soda,  or  the  common  salt  of  the  table, 
which  is  a  chemical  compound  of  muriatic  acid  and 
soda.  The  proportion  is  rather  large  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  equator.  If  we  considered  only  the  immense 
amount  of  evaporation  which  is  daily  going  on  from 
the  sea,  we  might  suppose  that,  like  a  vessel  of  the 
fluid  exposed  to  the  sun,  it  would  diminish  in 
volume  and  increase  in  saltness,  until  at  length 
nothing  would  be  left  but  a  dry  crust  of  salt  upon 
the  bottom;  on  the  other  hand,  looking  alone  at 
the  many  millions  of  tons  of  fresh  water  which 
are  every  moment  poured  into  its  bosom  from  the 
rivers  of  the  earth,  we  might  apprehend  a  speedy 
overflow,  and  a  second  destruction  by  a  flood.  But 
these  two  are  exactly  balanced ;  the  water  taken  up 
by  evaporation  is  with  scrupulous  exactness  restored 
again,  either  directly,  in  rain  which  falls  into  the  sea, 
or  circuitously,  in  the  rain  and  snow,  which  falling 
on  the  land,  feed  the  mountains,  streams  and  rivers, 
and  hurry  back  to  their  source.  This  interesting 
circulation  had  been  long  ago  observed  by  the  wisest 
of  men:  "All  the  rivers  run  into  the  sea;  yet  the 
sea  is  not  full;  unto  the  place  from  whence  the 
rivers   come,  thither   they  return   again."*     And  a 

*  Eccles.  i.  7. 


INTRODUCTION.  21 

very  beautiful  and  instructive  instance  it  is  of  that 
unerring  skill  and  wisdom  with  which  the  whole 
constitution  is  ordered  and  kept  in  order,  by  Him, 
who,  with  minute  accuracy,  "  weigheth  the  mountains 
in  scales,  and  the  hills  in  a  balance."* 

The  Ocean  is  never  perfectly  at  rest:  even  be- 
tween the  tropics,  in  what  are  called  the  calm 
latitudes,  where  the  impatient  seaman  for  weeks 
together  looks  wistfully  but  vainly  for  the  welcome 
breeze;  and  where  he  realizes  the  scene  so  gra- 
phically described  in  "The  Eime  of  the  Ancient 
Mariner:" — 

"  Day  after  day,  day  after  day, 

We  stuck,  nor  breath  nor  motion ; 
As  idle  as  a  painted  ship, 
Upon  a  painted  ocean  ;" 

even  here  the  smooth  and  glittering  surface  is  not 
at  rest:  for  long,  gentle  undulations,  which  cause 
the  taper  mast-head  to  describe  lines  and  angles 
upon  the  sky,  are  sufficiently  perceptible  to  tan- 
talize the  mariner  with  the  thought  that  the  breeze 
which  mocks  his  desires,  is  blowing  freshly  and  gal- 
lantly elsewhere.  The  most  remarkable  of  the  mo- 
tions observable  in  the  sea,  are  the  tides,  periodical 
risings  and  fallings  in  the  height  of  the  surface, 
which  take  place  twice  every  twenty- four  hours,  or 
nearly.  It  is  now  well  ascertained  that  these  mo- 
tions are  caused  by  the  attraction  of  the  sun  and 
moon,  but  more  particularly  the  latter,  upon  the 
particles  of  water,  which  moving  freely  among  them- 
selves with  little  force  of  cohesion,  readily  yield  to 

*  Isa.  xl.  12. 


22  THE   OCEAN. 

the  attracting  influence,  and  move  toward?  it.  The 
time  of  high  water  in  the  open  sea  is  about  two 
hours  after  the  moon  passes  the  meridian,  owing 
to  the  impetus  which  the  waters  have  been  receiving 
not  ceasing  immediately;  just  as  the  hottest  part  of 
the  day  is  not  noon,  but  about  two  hours  after  it ; 
and  the  hottest  month  of  the  year  is  not  June,  but 
July.  On  the  coast,  however,  high  water  is  delayed 
to  a  greater  or  less  extent  by  the  obstructions  of 
straits,  mouths  of  rivers,  harbors,  &c.  It  appears 
strange  that  the  sea  should  be  elevated,  not  only  on 
the  side  next  the  moon,  but  also  on  the  side  which 
is  diametrically  opposite ;  so  that  it  is  high  water  at 
the  same  moment  on  two  opposite  points  of  the 
globe,  each  of  which  points  follows,  so  to  speak, 
the  moon  in  the  daily  revolution,  and,  consequently, 
every  part  of  the  surface  of  the  Ocean  is  raised  twice 
in  each  day.  The  singular  phenomenon  is  thus 
explained:  the  attraction  of  the  moon  elevates  the 
particles  of  water  on  the  nearest  side,  by  slightly 
separating  them  from  each  other,  which  their  im- 
perfect cohesion  readily  admits ;  it  also  affects  the 
earth  itself;  but  this  being  a  solid  body,  the  cohe- 
sion of  its  parts  cannot  be  overcome,  and  the  whole 
mass  is  therefore  moved  towards  the  moon,  while  the 
particles  of  water  on  the  farther  side  remain,  owing 
to  their  freedom,  nearly  in  the  some  position  as  be- 
fore. The  fact  is,  that  the  earth  is  drawn  away  from 
the  water  on  the  remote  side,  and  then  the  water  is 
drawn  away  from  the  earth  on  the  near  side.  The 
sun  is  greatly  larger  than  the  moon,  but  his  attrac- 
tion, owing  to  his  great  distance,  does  not  affect  the 


INTRODUCTION.  23 

tides  to  more  than  one-fourth  of  the  moon's  extent. 
When  the  power  of  these  luminaries  is  exerted  in 
the  same  direction,  the  result  is  a  higher  elevation, 
called  the  spring- tide:  and  for  the  reason  already 
explained,  the  same  occurs  when  they  are  in  oppo- 
site quarters  of  the  heavens.  On  the  other  hand, 
when  they  are  in  quadrature,  that  is,  when  appa- 
rently separated  by  just  one-fourth  of  the  heavens, 
the  influence  of  the  sun  neutralizes,  in  the  ratio  of 
one-fourth,  that  of  the  moon;  and  hence  we  have 
the  lowest  tides,  called  neap-tides,  soon  after  the 
first  and  third  quarters  of  the  moon. 

Local  circumstances  greatly  affect  not  only  the 
time,  but  also  the  height  of  the  tides.  In  some  long 
bays,  which  grow  gradually  narrower,  in  the  form  of 
a  funnel,  the  whole  of  the  increased  water  which  en- 
tered the  mouth  of  the  bay,  being  confined  within 
very  narrow  limits,  rises  rapidly  to  a  great  height. 
Near  Chepstow,  in  the  Bristol  Channel,  for  example, 
the  tide  rises  from  45  to  60  feet,  and  on  one  oc- 
casion, after  a  strong  westerly  gale,  it  even  reached 
to  70  feet.  Again,  in  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  in  North 
America,  the  spring-tides  sometimes  rise  to  the 
astonishing  elevation  of  120  feet.  At  the  mouths 
of  some  large  rivers,  where  the  shore  is  very  level  to 
a  considerable  distance  inland,  the  tide  rolls  in  under 
the  form  of  one  vast  wave,  which  is  called  the  bore; 
something  of  this  kind  occurs  in  Solway  Frith  on  our 
own  coast;  and  it  is  said  that  if,  when  the  tide  is 
coming  in,  a  man  upon  a  swift  horse  were  placed 
at  the  water's  edge,  and  bidden  to  ride  for  his  life, 
the  utmost  efforts  of  his  steed  would  not  preserve 


24  THE    OCEAN. 

him  from  the  overwhelming  wave.  Through  the 
Pentland  Frith,  between  Scotland  and  the  Orkney 
Islands,  the  spring- tide  rushes  at  the  rate  of  nine 
miles  an  hour.  The  tide  in  inland  seas  is  so  slight 
as  to  be  scarcely  observable,  probably  owing  to  the 
smallness  of  the  volume  of  water  which  they  con- 
tain ;  and  hence  the  astonishment  which  the  soldiers 
of  Alexander,  accustomed  to  the  equable  condition 
of  the  Mediterranean,  felt,  when  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Indus,  they  beheld  the  sea  swell  to  the  height 
of  thirty  feet. 

That  some  purpose,  important  in  the  constitution 
of  our  world,  is  effected  by  these  periodical  ebbings 
and  flowing,  of  the  mighty  sea,  is  highly  probable; 
but  our  acquaintance  with  the  arcana  of  nature  is 
too  slight  to  point  it  out.  In  navigation  they  are 
useful;  the  flood-tide  permitting  ships  to  sail  up 
rivers,  even  when  the  wind  is  adverse,  and  often 
admitting  deep  vessels  to  pass  into  harbors,  over 
banks  or  bars,  impassable  at  the  ordinary  depth  of 
the  water. 

Besides  the  tides,  the  sea  has  other  motions  of 
great  regularity,  called  currents.  The  principal  of 
these  is  the  notable  Gulf-stream,  a  strong  and  rapid 
river,  as  I  may  say,  in  the  sea,  wlx>se  banks  are 
almost  as  well  defined  as  if  they  were  formed  of 
solid  earth,  instead  of  the  same  fickle  fluid  as  the 
torrent  itself.  It  first  becomes  appreciable  on  the 
western  coast  of  Florida,  gently  flowing  southward 
until  it  reaches  the  Tortugas,  when  it  bends  its 
course  easterly,  and  runs  along  the  Florida  Reef, 
increasing    in    force,    till    it     rushes    with    amazing 


INTRODUCTION.  25 

rapidity  through  the  confined  limits  of  the  Strait  of 
Florida,  and  pours  a  vast  volume  of  tepid  water  into 
the  cold  bosom  of  the  Atlantic.  Here,  unrestrained, 
it  of  course  widens  its  bounds  and  slackens  its  speed, 
though  such  is  its  impetus  that  it  may  be  distinctly 
perceived  even  as  far  as  the  Great  Bank  of  New- 
foundland. Nor  is  its  strength  then  spent;  for 
many  curious  facts  seem  to  warrant  us  in  con- 
cluding, that  even  to  the  coasts  of  Scotland  and 
Ireland,  and  down  the  shores  of  Western  Europe, 
this  mighty  marine  river  continues  to  roll  its  won- 
derful waters.  The  temperature  of  this  current  is 
much  higher  than  that  of  the  surrounding  water,  and 
this  is  so  uniformly  the  case  that  an  c  ance  into 
it  is  immediately  marked  by  a  sudden  rise  of  the 
thermometer.  Another  unfailing  token  of  its  pre- 
sence is  the  Gulf- weed  (Sargassum  vulgare),  which 
floats  in  large  fields,  or  more  frequently  in  long 
yellow  strings  in  the  direction  of  the  wind,  upon 
its  surface.  The  cause  of  this  vast  and  important 
current  seems  to  be  the  daily  rotation  of  the  earth. 
If  we  turn  a  glass  of  water  quickly  upon  its  axis,  we 
shall  perceive  that  the  glass  itself  revolves,  but  that 
the  particles  of  water  remain  nearly  stationary,  owing 
to  the  slightness  of  their  cohesion  to  the  glass.  To 
a  very  minute  insect  attached  to  the  vessel,  it  would 
seem  that  the  water  was  rushing  round  in  an  op- 
posite direction  while  the  glass  remained  stationary. 
Now  the  earth  is  whirled  round  with  great  rapidity 
from  west  to  east,  and  the  greatest  amount  of  this 
rapidity  is  of  course  at  the  equatorial  regions,  being 
the  part  most  remote  from  the  axis:  but  the  par- 

c 


26  THE    OCEAN. 

tides  of  water,  for  the  same  reason  as  those  in 
the  glass,  to  a  certain  extent,  resist  the  influence 
of  this  rotation,  and  appear  to  assume  a  motion 
in  the  opposite  direction,  from  east  to  west.  With 
respect  to  all  the  phenomena  to  be  explained,  this 
apparent  motion  is  exactly  the  same  as  if  it  were 
real,  and  we  shall  consider  it  so.  Now,  examine 
a  globe,  or  a  map  of  the  Atlantic,  and  you  will  setf 
that  this  westerly  "set"  of  the  equatorial  waters, 
meeting  the  coast  of  South  America,  is  slightly 
turned  through  the  Caribbean  Sea,  until  it  strikes 
the  coast  of  Mexico,  which,  like  an  impregnable 
rampart,  opposes  its  progress.  The  stream,  impelled 
by  the  waves  behind,  must  have  an  outlet,  and  thu 
form  of  the  shore  drives  it  round  the  northern  side 
of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  until  it  is  again  bent  by  tins 
peninsula  of  Florida.  But  here  the  long  island  of 
Cuba  meets  its  southerly  course,  and,  like  the  hunted 
deer,  headed  at  every  turn,  the  whole  of  the  broad 
tide  that  entered  the  Gulf,  now  pent  up  within  the 
compass  of  a  few  leagues,  rushes  with  vast  impetus 
through  the  only  outlet  that  is  open,  between  Florida 
and  the  Bahamas.  It  is  as  if  we  propelled  with 
swiftness  against  the  air  a  wide  funnel,  the  mouth 
being  outwards,  the  tube  of  which  was  long  and 
tortuous,  and  which  terminated  at  length  nearly  at 
right  angles  to  the  mouth:  it  is  easy  to  imagine 
that  a  strong  current  of  air  would  issue  from  the 
tube,  exactly  as  the  waters  of  the  Gulf-stream  do 
from  their  narrow  gorge.  The  waters  of  the  Pa- 
cific have  the  same  westerly  flow,  but  its  force  is 
broken,   without  being   turned,   by  the  vast   assem- 


INTRODUCTION.  27 

blage  of  islands  which  constitute  the  Eastern  Ar- 
chipelago; it  may,  however,  be  recognized  in  the 
Indian  Ocean,  and  when  bent  southward  by  the 
African  coast,  and  confined  by  the  island  of  Mada- 
gascar, it  forms  a  current  of  considerable  force, 
which  rounds  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  merges 
into  the  Atlantic.  Besides  these,  there  are  other 
more  local  currents,  which  are  not  so  easily  ex- 
plained, such  as  that  which  constantly  flows  out 
of  the  Baltic,  and  that  which  flows  into  the  Me- 
diterranean. In  each  of  these  cases,  while  the 
main  current  occupies  the  middle  of  the  channel, 
there  is  a  subordinate  current  on  each  side  close 
to  the  shore,  which   sets  in   the  opposite  direction. 

As  in  the  case  of  the  tides,  it  is  obvious  how 
serviceable  these  motions  of  the  sea  often  are  in 
aiding  navigation,  particularly  as  they  are  most 
strong  and  regular  in  latitudes  where  calms  often 
prevail. 

And  this  leads  us  to  consider  the  action  of  the 
winds  upon  the  sea,  which,  though  affecting  only  the 
surface,  are  the  most  powerful  agents  in  producing 
the  irregular  motions  of  this  element.  By  them  the 
freighted  bark,  with  her  hardy  crew,  is  wafted  to  the 
wished  for  haven;  and  by  them  the  crested  billows 
are  roused  up,  which  dash  her  upon  the  sharp-pointed 
rocks,  or  swallow  her  up  in  fathomless  depths,  leav- 
ing none  to  record  her  destiny.  The  origin  of  wind 
has  usually  been  attributed  to  the  rarefaction  of  the 
air  by  heat:  a  stratum  of  air  near  the  earth  being 
heated  by  the  sun's  rays,  or  by  radiation  from  the 
surface,  becomes  lighter,  and  consequently  rises  to  a 


28  THE   OCEAN. 

higher  elevation.  The  empty  space  thus  left  is  in- 
stantly filled  by  the  surrounding  air  rushing  in, 
pressed  by  the  weight  of  the  atmosphere  above:  this 
motion  communicated  to  the  air,  has  been  supposed 
to  constitute  a  wind  blowing  in  the  direction  of 
the  spot  where  the  heat  was  generated.  It  must 
be  confessed,  however,  that  the  cause  thus  adduced 
does  not  seem  adequate  to  produce  the  effects  at- 
tributed to  it;  though  probably  some  of  the  cur- 
rents of  the  air  are  owing  to  variations  of  its  tem- 
perature. And  as  these  variations  are  perpetually 
occurring,  dependent  on  causes  which  are  difficult 
to  detect,  and  as  the  aerial  currents  resulting  from 
them  act  and  react  on  each  other,  variously  modi- 
fying their  direction,  force,  and  duration,  the  or- 
dinary winds  are  irregular  and  inconstant  even  to 
a  proverb.  Some  observations,  however,  recently 
made,  have  revealed  some  particulars  of  a  highly- 
interesting  character,  concerning  the  winds  of  the 
temperate  zones:  one  of  which  is,  that  they  blow 
in  a  circular  direction ;  that  is,  the  course  which 
a  storm  has  taken,  if  marked  out  on  a  map  or 
globe,  would  describe  a  circle,  often  of  many  de- 
grees in  diameter.  The  direction  of  the  gale  in 
the  circle  is  not  arbitrary  but  seems  to  be  inva- 
riably from  north  to  west,  south,  and  east,  in  the 
northern  hemisphere,  and  in  the  opposite  course 
in  the  southern.  These  winds  appear  to  be  inti- 
mately connected  with  magnetism :  it  is  a  curious 
fact,  that,  in  the  midst  of  the  southern  Atlantic, 
where  magnetic  influence  is  at  the  lowest  degree 
of  intensity,   storms  are  unknown,   while  the   mcri- 


INTRODUCTION.  29 

dians  of  the  magnetic  poles,  that  of  the  American 
cutting  the  West  Indies,  and  that  of  the  Siberian 
the  China  Sea,  are  peculiarly  liable  to  tempests ; 
the  hurricanes  of  the  former,  and  the  typhoons  of 
the  latter,  being  well  known.*  It  is  pretty  certain, 
also,  that  the  changes  in  the  atmosphere  produced 
by  electricity,  which  is  but  another  development  of 
the  same  principle  as  magnetism,  have  considerable 
influence  in  the  production  of  the  variable  winds 
of  temperate  regions.  Our  knowledge  of  these  sub- 
jects, however,  is  yet  in  its  infancy;  and  though 
in  all  ages  until  the  present,  navigation  has  been 
entirely  dependent  on  the  aid  of  the  winds,  no  laws 
for  their  certain  prognostication  have  yet  been  dis- 
covered, and  much  obscurity,  at  least  in  detail,  still 
hangs  over  their  production.  But  within  the  tro- 
pical regions  there  are  winds  which  possess  great 
regularity,  and  may  be  depended  upon  with  nearly 
the  same  precision  as  the  great  marine  currents 
already  noticed,  which  indeed  they  very  closely  re- 
semble, not  only  in  their  direction  and  their  utilitv, 
but  also  in  their  origin.  I  refer  particularly  to  the 
Trade-winds,  so  named  from  the  facility  they  afford 
to  commerce,  which  blow  constantly,  within  the  tro- 
pics, from  the  north-east  on  the  north  side  of  the 
equator,  and  from  the  south-east  on  the  south  side, 
the  two  currents  merging  near  the  line  into  one,  which 
takes  an  easterly  direction.  The  dividing  line,  how- 
ever, is  not  exactly  at  the  equator,  but  a  little  to  the 
north  of  it.  The  air  in  the  equatorial  regions  be- 
comes strongly  heated  by  the  rays  of  the  vertical  sun, 

*  Sec  Rei'i  on  Storms. 


30  THE  OCEAN. 

and  rises;  while  that  from  the  polar  regions  moves 
in  to  supply  its  place:  thus  a  nothern  and  southern 
current  are  produced  towards  the  equinoctial.  But 
the  earth  is  revolving  from  west  to  east,  and  the 
equatorial  parts  are,  as  we  have  before  seen,  those  in 
which  the  velocity  is  greatest:  the  free  air  cannot 
at  once  acquire  this  velocity,  and  is  left  behind; 
the  effect  being  that  an  apparent  motion  in  the 
contrary  direction  is  given  to  it,  which,  combining 
with  the  one  already  possessed  by  the  polar  cur- 
rents, makes  the  direction  of  the  northern  one 
north-east,  and  of  the  southern  south-east.  The 
point  directly  beneath  the  sun,  also,  is  continually 
travelling  westward,  which  increases  the  effect.  The 
heat  radiated  from  the  surface  of  large  masses  of 
land  being  superior  to  that  from  the  sea,  while  the 
former  is  subject  to  much  variation  from  differences 
of  elevation,  and  other  circumstances,  the  trade- 
winds  are  disturbed,  and  become  very  irregular  in 
the  vicinity  of  land;  but  in  open  sea  they  blow  with 
much  precision. 

A  singular  deviation  from  the  uniformity  of  the 
trade- winds  occurs  in  the  Indian  Ocean,  which  it 
seems  difficult  to  explain.  From  30°  south  lati- 
tude, to  within  about  10°  of  the  equator,  the 
trade  is  pretty  constant  from  the  south-east;  but 
to  the  north  of  the  latter  parallel,  the  wind  blows 
six  months  from  the  north-east,  namely,  from  Oc- 
tober to  April,  while,  during  the  remainder  of  the 
year,  from  April  to  October,  it  blows  with  equal 
pertinacity  in  a  direction  diametrically  opposite. 
These   are    called    respectively   the    north-east    and 


INTKODUCTION.  81 

south-west  monsoons ;  but  the  former  is  the  regular 
trade — the  latter  alone  is  the  anomaly,  and  needs 
explanation.  The  cause  usually  assigned  is,  the 
rarefaction  of  the  air  on  the  continent  of  Asia 
during  the  summer  months,  when  the  sun  is  north 
of  the  equator;  the  air  from  the  Indian  ■  Ocean 
flowing  in  to  supply  its  place.  This  would  suffi- 
ciently explain  why  the  wind  should  be  southerly, 
but  leaves  its  westerly  inclination  entirely  unac- 
counted for;  and  this  seems  the  more  inexplicable, 
because  one  would  suppose  that  the  air  over  the 
burning  deserts  of  Arabia  and  North  Africa  would 
be  much  more  heated,  and  that  the  direction  of  the 
supplying  current  would  be  south-east.  Strange, 
however,  as  the  fact  is,  it  is  perfectly  uniform  in 
its  occurrence,  and  is  obviously  a  very  gracious 
ordination  of  God's  beneficent  providence,  in  di- 
minishing the  uncertainties  of  navigation. 

There  is  yet  another  phenomenon  connected  with 
the  wind,  in  the  climates  of  which  we  speak,  that 
requires  notice ;  it  is  the  alternation  of  the  land 
and  sea-breezes.  Every  one  who  has  resided  near 
the  coast  in  tropical  countries  is  aware  of  the  eager- 
ness with  which  the  setting  in  of  the  sea-breeze  is 
looked  for.  Usually  about  the  hour  of  ten  in  the 
forenoon,  when  the  heat  of  the  sun  begins  to  be 
oppressive,  a  breeze  from  the  sea  springs  up,  in- 
vigorating and  refreshing  the  body  by  its  delight- 
ful coolness,  and  continues  to  blow  through  the 
whole  day,  gradually  dying  away  as  the  sun  sinks 
to  the  horizon.  Then,  about  eight  in  the  evening, 
an  air  blows  off  the  land  until  near  sunrise ;  but  this 


32  THE   OCEAN. 

is  somewhat  variable  and  irregular,  always  fainter 
than  the  sea-breeze,  and  dependent  on  the  proximity 
of  mountains.  The  application  of  what  has  been 
already  said  of  the  causes  of  wind  in  general  will 
readily  be  made  to  these  particular  cases,  the  air 
on  the  surface  of  the  water  being  cooler  during  the 
day,  and  that  on  the  mountains  during  the  night. 
Either  is  a  grateful  alleviation  of  the  oppressive 
sultriness  of  the  climate. 

But  for  the  winds,  the  surface  of  the  sea  would 
ever  present,  notwithstanding  its  intestine  motions, 
an  unbroken  and  glassy  smoothness.  The  playful 
ripple  which  breaks  the  moon's  ray  into  a  thousand 
sparkling  diamonds,  and  the  huge  billows  that  rear 
their  curling  and  creating  summits  to  the  sky.  would 
be  alike  unknown.  If  the  direction  of  the  breeze 
were  exactly  horizontal,  it  is  difficult  to  imagine 
how  the  surface  could  be  ruffled  at  all;  but  doubt- 
less the  wind  exerts  an  irregular  pressure  obliquely 
upon  the  water,  a  few  particles  of  which  are  thus 
forced  out  of  their  level  above  the  surrounding  ones  : 
these  afford  a  surface,  however  slight,  on  which  the 
air  can  act  directly,  and  the  effect  now  goes  on  in- 
creasing every  moment,  until,  if  the  wind  be  of  suf- 
ficient velocity,  the  mightiest  waves  are  produced.* 

*  The  perpendicular  elevation  of  even  the  highest  waves  is,  however, 
much  overrated.  Viewed  from  the  deck  of  a  vessel,  the  immense  undu- 
lating surface  causes  them  to  appear  much  higher  than  they  arc;  while 
the  ever-changing  inclination  of  the  vessel  itself  produces  a  deception 
of  the  senses,  which  increases  the  exaggeration.  Experienced  practical 
men  have,  however,  made  some  observations,  which  show  us  their  height. 
Taking  their  station  in  the  shrouds,  they  haro  proceeded  higher  and 
higher,  until  the  summit  of  the  loftiest  billow  no  longer  intero«pt«d  the 


INTRODUCTION.  33 

'*  For  lie  commandeth,  and  raisetli  the  stormy  wind, 
which  lifteth  up  the  waves  thereof.  They  [the 
mariners]  mount  up  to  the  heaven,  they  go  down 
again  to  the  depths:  their  soul  is  melted  because 
of  trouble.  They  reel  to  and  fro,  and  stagger  like 
a  drunken  man,  and  are  at  their  wits'  end."  The 
Holy  Spirit  thus  alludes  to  the  terrific  raging  of 
the  tempest  as  eminently  calculated  to  draw  man's 
attention  to  the  power  and  majesty  of  God,  while 
the  wondrous  deliverances  He  has  so  often  wrought 
from  its  fury,  are  so  many  claims  on  man's  grateful 
love  and  praise. 

Let  us,  then,  in  contemplating  a  few  of  the  in- 
numerable objects  of  interest  which  the  ocean  pre- 
sents to  us,  endeavour  in  dependence  on  His  own 
gracious  aid,  to  recognise  His  hand,  to  discern  the 
greatness  of  His  power  in  creating  and  upholding 
all  things;  His  unerring  skill  and  wisdom  in  arrang- 
ing and  carrying  out  His  designs;  and  the  careful 
and  provident  benevolence  which  He  continually 
exercises  towards  the  sentient  part  of  His  creation. 
The  varied  tribes  of  living  beings  that  throng  the 
deep,  from  the  wallowing  whale  to  the  luminous 
animalcule,  visible  but  as  a  sparkling  point;  the 
multifarious  forms  of  marine  vegetation,  displaying 

view  of  the  horizon.  After  watching  for  a  sufficient  length  of  time  to 
verify  the  deductions,  they  descended,  and  measured  the  height  of  the 
point  of  sight  from  the  ship's  water-lino  ;  deducting  half  of  this  distance 
for  the  depression  of  the  hollow  below  the  level  of  the  surface,  the  remain- 
der gives  the  elevation  of  the  highest  wave.  It  is  thus  found  that  waves 
do  not  usually  exceed  six  feet  in  height,  except  when  cross-waves  over- 
run each  other ;  and  probably  in  no  case  do  the  very  loftiest  rise  above 
ten  feet  above  the  general  level. 
3 


34  THE    OCEAN. 

exquisite  structure  and  elaborate  contrivance;  the 
golden  sands  of  the  smooth  shore,  the  hoary  cliffs 
hollowed  into  caverns  by  the  restless  billows,  and 
not  least,  the  restless  billows  themselves,  speak  to 
us,  in  language  not  to  be  mistaken,  of  the  glorious 
attributes  of  the  Mighty  God,  "the  Lord  of  Hosts, 
which  is  wonderful  in  counse"  and  excellent  in 
working." 


THE   SHORES   OF  BRITAIN. 


Before  we  launch,  forth  to  investigate  the  won- 
ders of  the  vast  Ocean,  a  little  time  will  not  be 
misspent  in  observing  a  few  of  the  curious  pro- 
ductions which  it  brings  to  our  very  doors.  We 
shall  greatly  err,  if  we  suppose  that  only  in  dis- 
tant parts  of  the  world  the  works  of  God  can  be  so 
studied  as  to  illustrate  His  infinite  power,  and  skill, 
and  benevolence:  we  may  have  to  search  distant 
regions  to  find  the  giants  of  the  deep,  the  huge 
whale,  the  Indian  cuttle,  or  the  island  madrepore; 
but  in  the  most  minute  crustacean  that  hops  above 
the  retiring  wave,  or  the  most  fragile  shell  that 
lies  upon  the  shingle,  there  is  the  indelible  im- 
press of  the  mind  and  hand  of  God.  Indeed,  it 
may  be  asserted,  that  of  two  created  objects  of  dif- 
ferent magnitude,  but  possessing  similar  organs, 
equally  adapted  to  their  requirements,  that  one  in 
which  these  organs  are  of  minute  size  is  the  more 
calculated  to  excite  our  admiration.  Our  own 
shores  swarm  with  little  creatures  of  many  kinds, 
some  so  small  as  to  escape  the  eye  of  any  one  but 
a  naturalist,  which  yet  are  well  worthy  of  being 
examined  and  studied.  Take  one  example.  Walk- 
ing along  a  sea-beach,  where  the  loose  shingle 
rattles    under   the   retiring    waves,    we   may  find  a 

(35) 


36 


THE    OCEAN. 


minute  beetle,  known  to  entomologists  by  the  name 
of  Aepus  fulvescens,  whose  habits  may  well  excite 
our  astonishment.  Formed  like  all  other  beetles, 
to  breathe  air  alone,  it  deserts  the  haunts  of  its  fel- 
lows, and  betakes  itself  to  the  sea,  choosing  to  dwell 
among  the  pebbles  so  low  down  on  the  beach  that 
the  water  covers  it  constantly,  except  for  a  day  or 
two  twice  every  month,  when,  at  the  lowest  ebb  of 
the  spring-tide,  it  is  for  a  few  minutes  exposed. 
Now,  during  the  weeks  of  its  submersion,  how  does 
this  little  creature  breathe?  Oxygen  it  must  have, 
or  it  will  assuredly  die.  Many  of  the  beetles  that 
shoot  hither  and  thither  in  our  fresh-water  ponds 
are  clothed  with  a  coat  of  thick  but  verjr  fine  down, 
in  which  air  is  entangled  and  carried  beneath  the 
surface.  But  our  little  Aepus  is  not  furnished  with 
a  coating  of  down.  If  we  examine  it,  however, 
with  a  magnifier,  we  shall  discover  that  its  whole 
body  and  limbs  are  studded  with  long,  slender 
hairs,  and  when  it  plunges  under  water,  each  of 
these  hairs  carries  with  it  a  little  globule  of  air 
from  the  atmosphere,  and  these,  uniting,  form  a 
bubble  of  air  surrounding  the  body  of  the  insect, 
and  serving  it  for  respiration.  But,  subjected  to 
the  rolling  of  the  tide,  it  would  be  liable  to  be 
perpetually  washed  away  from  its  dwelling-place, 
were  there  not  an  especial  provision  graciously  made 
for  its  stability.  For  this  end  the  feet  are  fur- 
nished with  claws  of  unusual  size,  to  cling  firmly 
to  the  projections  of  the  stones,  and  in  addition 
to  these  the  last  joint  but  one  of  the  feet  has  a 
long  curved  spine  meeting  the  claws,  giving  it  an 


THE    SHORES    OF   BRITAIN.  37 

extraordinary  power  in  grasping,  as  well  as  aiding  it 
in  obtaining  its  prey.  In  other  respects,  with  regard 
to  its  eyes,  its  antennae,  its  jaws,  we  shall  find,  if 
we  carefully  examine  it,  that,  minute  as  it  is,  being 
scarcely  an  eighth  of  an  inch  long,  its  wants  have 
been  accurately  remembered  and  well  supplied.  A 
few  other  British  insects,  likewise  very  small,  dis- 
play similar  instincts,  some  of  them  inhabiting  holes 
in  the  sand,  very  near  low-water  mark,  and  there- 
fore entirely  submerged  a  great  portion  of  their 
time. 

On  our  rocky  shores  may  be  found  in  abundance 
creatures  still  more  minute  than  these,  whose  man- 
ners, lively  and  sportive,  are  highly  interesting.  I 
allude  to  the  marine  Untomoslraca,  or  insects  with 
shells,  and  particularly  to  those  of  the  genus  Cythere, 
scarcely  any  of  which  exceed  in  diameter  a  large 
pin's  head,  and  most  of  them  are  not  equal  to  that 
of  a  small  one.  Imagine  a  pair  of  bivalve  shells  of 
this  size,  irregularly  oval,  or  kidney-shaped,  from 
which,  slightly  separated,  protrude  four  pairs  of  little 
curved  claws,  or  feet,  most  delicately  fringed,  and 
kept  in  constant  motion  ;  and  from  one  end  a  pair 
of  jointed  antennas.  Mr.  Baird,  who  has  attentively 
studied  their  manners,  gives  the  following  pleasing 
account  of  them: — "These  insects  are  only  to  be 
found  in  sea-water,  and  may  be  met  with  in  all  the 
little  pools  amongst  tha  rocks  on  the  sea-shores. 
They  live  amongst  the  Fuci  and  Confer uce,  &c,  which 
are  to  be  found  in  such  pools;  and  the  naturalist 
may  especially  find  them  in  abundance  in  those 
beautiful  clear  little  round  wells  which  are  so  often 

D 


38  THE    OCEAN. 

to  be  met  with,  hollowed  out  of  the  rocks  on  the 
shores  of  our  country,  which  are  within  reach  of 
the  tide,  and  the  water  of  which  is  kept  sweet  and 


Marine  Entomostraca  (Cythere  albo-maculata  arid  Cyclops  chclifer). 

vholesome  by  being  thus  changed  twice  during 
every  twenty-four  hours.  In  such  delightful  little 
ponds,  clear  as  crystal  when  left  undisturbed  by  the 
receding  tide,  these  interesting  little  creatures  may 
be  found  often  in  great  numbers,  sporting  about 
amongst  the  confervas  and  corallines  which  so 
elegantly  and  fancifully  fringe  their  edges  and  de- 
corate their  sides,  and  which  form  such  a  glorious 
subaqueous  forest  for  myriads  of  living  creatures 
to  disport  themselves  in.  Sheltered  amongst  the 
"  umbrageous  multitude"  of  stems  and  branches, 
and  nestling  in  security  in  their  forest  glades,  they 
are  safe  from  the  fury  of  the  advancing  tide,  though 
lashed  up  to  thunder  by  the  opposing  rocks  which 
for  a  moment  check  its  advance;  and  weak  and 
powerless  though  such  pigmies  seem  to  be,  they 
are  yet  found  as  numerous  and  active  in  their 
little  wells,  after    the    shores    have    been    desolated 


THE   SHORES    OF   BRITAIN.  39 

by  the  mighty  force  of  the  tide  which  has  been 
driven  in,  in  thunder,  by  the  power  of  a  fierce 
tempest,  as  when  the  waves  have  rolled  gently  and 
calmly  to  the  shore  in  their  sweetest  murmurs. 
These  insects  have  never  been  seen  to  swim,  in- 
variably walking  among  the  branches  or  leaves  of 
the  conferva  or  /«c(,  amongst  which  they  delight 
to  dwell ;  and  when  shook  out  from  their  hiding- 
places  into  a  bottle  or  tumbler  of  water,  they  may 
be  seen  to  fall  in  gyrations  to  the  bottom,  without 
ever  attempting  to  dart  through  the  watery  element, 
as  in  the  case  with  the  Cyprides.  Upon  reaching 
the  bottom  they  open  their  shells,  and  creep  along 
the  surface  of  the  glass ;  but  when  touched  or 
shaken,  they  immediately  again  withdraw  themselves 
within  their  shell,  and  remain  motionless."*  The 
Cyprides,  here  alluded  to  in  comparison,  are  species 
very  closely  resembling  these,  inhabiting  abundantly 
every  stagnant  ditch  and  pool  of  fresh  water.  They 
have  their  antennae  and  feet  beautifully  feathered 
with  long  fringed  bristles,  by  aid  of  which  they 
swim  with  much  vivacity.  In  exactly  similar  situ- 
ations to  those  above  described  are  found  other 
Entomostraca,  marine  species  of  the  genus  Cyclops, 
almost  equally  minute,  and  equally  interesting. 
Like  their  kindred  of  the  same  genus  found  in  fresh 
waters,  and  which  are  so  numerous  in  the  water 
conveyed  into  London  that  we  swallow  them  daily, 
these  swim  with  ease,  progressing  by  sudden  bounds 
made  with  great  vigour  and  effect.  Mr.  Baird  no- 
tices of  one  marine  species  (C.  depresses),    which  he 

*  Mag.  Zool.  and  Bot.  ii.  141. 


40  THE    OCEAN. 

found  in  Berwick  Bay,  that  its  motion  is  peculiar. 
"  It  generally  swims  on  its  back,  and  instead  of 
darting  forward  through  the  water,  as  the  other 
species  of  Cychps  do,  it  springs  with  a  bound  from 
the  bottom  of  the  vessel,  where  it  rests  when  un- 
disturbed, up  to  the  surface  of  the  water.  For  this 
purpose  it  curls  its  body  up  into  the  form  of  a  ball, 
and  then,  suddenly  returning  to  the  straight  posi- 
tion, springs  with  a  sudden  bound  from  the  bottom 
to  the  surface,  falling  gradually  down  again  to  the 
same  place  from  which  it  sprung."  It  is  a  remark- 
able character  of  all  these  pretty  little  ivater-Jkas, 
that  they  have  but  a  single  eye,  which  is  generally 
of  a  bright  crimson  hue,  sparkling  like  a  little  ruby, 
and  is  set  in  the  front  of  the  head.  Any  of  my 
inland  readers,  who  may  have  no  opportunity  for 
sea-side  researches,  may  form  a  very  good  idea  of 
the  form  and  habits  of  these  agile  "  minims  of  exist- 
ence" by  pulling  up  a  handful  of  the  common  duck- 
weed from  a  stagnant  pool,  and  putting  a  pinch  of 
it  into  a  clear  glass  phial,  nearly  filled  with  water : 
numbers  of  the  fresh-water  Entomostraca  will  be 
almost  certain  to  swim  out;  and  the  sight  will  amply 
repay  the  trouble  of  procuring  them,  especially  if 
viewed  with  a  microscope,  or  even  a  common  magni- 
fying glass. 

Probably  the  objects  which  would  first  arrest  the 
observation  of  one  who  for  the  first  time  visited 
a  rocky  shore,  would  be,  after  the  broad  element 
itself,  the  marine  plants  which  in  such  abundance 
and  variety  clothe  the  submerged  rock.  At  a  glance 
we  perceive  that  they  are  singular  productions;  the 


THE    SHORES    OF    BRITAIN.  ±\ 

vast  size  of  some,  the  strange  and  uncouth  forms 
of  others,  and  the  extreme  delicacy  and  vivid  hues 
of  many,  cannot  fail  to  attract  attention :  and  it 
needs  not  the  additional  knowledge  that  many  of 
them  are  pressed  into  the  service  of  man  to  assure 
us  that  they  are  not  less  worthy  of  the  consideration 
of  rational  beings  than  others  of  the  glorious  works 
of  God.  "Viewing  these  tribes,"  observes  Dr.  Gre- 
ville,  "in  the  most  careless  way,  as  a  system  of  sub- 
aqueous vegetation,  or  even  in  a  merely  picturesque 
light,  we  see  the  depths  of  ocean  shadowed  with 
submarine  groves,  often  of  vast  extent,  intermixed 
with  meadows,  as  it  were,  of  the  most  lively  hues ; 
while  the  trunks  of  the  larger  species,  like  the  great 
trees  of  the  tropics,  are  loaded  with  innumerable 
minute  kinds,  as  fine  as  silk,  or  transparent  as  a  mem- 
brane."* In  stating  some  particulars  of  the  history 
of  but  a  few  of  the  species  found  on  our  own  shores, 
I  hope  to  show  that  the  contempt  which  has  been, 
even  to  a  proverb,  cast  upon  the  "vile  sea- weed," 
is  very  much  misplaced.  It  is  only  a  contracted 
mind,  governed  by  debasing  selfishness,  which  mea- 
sures the  esteem  in  which  it  holds  any  object  by 
the  degree  to  which  it  ministers  to  the  comfort  or 
profit  of  man ;  the  instructed  Christian  will  feel  a 
higher  gratification  in  the  thought  that  the  perfec- 
tions of  God  shine  forth  more  luminously  the  more 
His  handiwork  is  examined.  It  was  no  selfishness 
that  prompted  the  Sons  of  God,  when  they  saw  this 
beautiful  and  glorious  world,  fresh  in  its  unsullied 
prime,  come  from  the  hands  of  its  Maker, — to  sing 

*  Algae  Britannicae.     Intr. 
b  2 


42  THE   OCEAN. 

together,  and  all  the  morning  stars  to  shout  for  joy. 
Yet  we  may,  with  adoring  gratitude,  recognise  the 
love  which  remembers  man,  and  provides  many  natu- 
ral objects  for  his  appropriation ;  endowing  them 
with  qualities  which  his  intelligence  discovers  to  be 
useful,  and  which  alleviate  the  privation  and  toil  of 
his  fallen  condition. 

A  substance  called  kelp,  an  impure  carbonate  of 
soda,  important  in  the  manufacture  of  soap  and  of 
glass,  is  the  produce  of  these  "worthless"  weeds. 
Some  years  ago,  the  coasts  and  islands  of  Scotland 
yielded  20,000  tons  of  this  valuable  substance  an- 
nually, which  was  worth  ten  pounds  sterling  per 
ton;  but  through  the  increased  consumption  of  ba- 
rilla, an  alkali  imported  from  Spain,  it  has  some- 
what diminished.  The  autumnal  storms  detach  large 
quantities  of  Algce,  (a  general  name  applied  to  all 
the  sea- weeds),  which  are  washed  ashore.  The 
inhabitants  of  the  coast,  aware  of  their  value, 
hurry  down  to  secure  the  riches  thus  freely  pre- 
sented, and  either  cast  them  on  their  fields  as  a  va- 
luable manure,  or  burn  them  into  kelp.  In  Scot- 
land, the  kelp-kiln  is  nothing  but  a  round  pit,  dug 
in  the  sand  or  earth  on  the  beach,  and  surrounded 
by  a  few  loose  stones.  In  the  morning  a  fire  is 
kindled  in  this  pit,  generally  with  the  aid  of  turf 
or  peat.  The  fire  is  gradually  fed  with  sea- weed, 
in  such  a  state  of  dryness  that  it  will  merely  burn. 
In  the  course  of  the  day,  the  furnace  becomes 
nearly  full  of  melted  matter,  and  iron  rakes  are 
then  drawn  rapidly  backward  and  forward  through 
the  mass  to  compact  it,  or  bring  the  whole  into  au 


THE    SHORES    OP    BRITAIN.  43 

equal  state  of  fusion.  It  is  then  allowed  to  cool, 
and  having  been  taken  out  and  broken  to  pieces, 
it  is  carried  to  the  storehouse  to  be  shipped  for 
market.  The  general  yield  of  this  alkali  is  one- 
fifth  of  the  weight  of  the  ashes  from  weeds  pro- 
miscuously collected ;  but  from  one  species,  the 
Sea- wrack,  or  Black-tang  (Fucus  vesiculosus),  one  of 
the  most  abundant  on  our  coast,  the  ashes  yield 
half  their  weight  of  alkali.  The  Sea- wrack  is  of  a 
dark-green  hue,  bearing  long,  flat,  and  narrow 
fronds,  resembling  leaves,  divided  into  branches, 
and  having  a  midrib  running  through  the  centre ; 
the  leaf-like  branches  terminate  in  large  yellow 
oval  receptacles,  containing  many  seeds,  enveloped 
in  a  thick  mucus.  But  its  chief  peculiarity  is,  that 
the  substance  of  the  frond  swells  at  irregular  in- 
tervals into  oval  air-cells,  always  arranged  in  pairs, 
one  on  each  side  of  the  midrib.  The  Dutch  use 
this  sort,  and  another  called  Black-wrack  (F.  ser- 
ralus),  to  pack  their  lobsters ;  the  latter,  how- 
ever, is  preferred,  on  account  of  its  containing  less 
mucus,  and  therefore  being  less  liable  to  ferment- 
ation. 

Scarcely  inferior  in  its  alkaline  properties  to  the 
Sea-wrack  is  the  Knotted- wrack  (F.  nodosus).  The 
fronds  look  like  slender  stems,  swelling  at  intervals 
into  oval  bulbs  or  air-vessels.  Boys  amuse  them- 
selves occasionally  by  cutting  off  these  nodules  in 
a  diagonal  direction,  to  make  them  into  whistles. 
They  are  too  tough  to  be  burst  b}*-  the  pressure  of 
the  fingers,  like  those  of  the  Sea- wrack;  but  if 
stamped    on,    or    put   into   the   fire,    they   explode 


44  THE    OCEAN. 

with  a  loud  report.  The  seed-vessels  are  large, 
oval,  and  yellow,  resembling  those  of  the  last,  placed 
on  foot-stalks. 

One  of  the  most  common  species  of  our  coasts  is 
the  long,  string-like  Sea-lace,  or,  as  the  Orkney 
people  call  it,  Sea-catgut  (Chorda-Jilum).  It 
usually  grows  in  water  some  fathoms  deep,  attached 
to  stones  at  the  bottom,  yet  reaching  to  the  sur- 
face: indeed,  it  sometimes  attains  the  length  of 
forty  feet ;  and  this  is  believed  to  be  the  growth 
of  a  single  summer,  as  it  is  an  annual  plant.  Its 
structure  is  highly  curious ;  at  first  sight  it  appears 
a  simple  cylindrical  tube,  of  an  olive  colour,  about 
as  thick  as  whipcord,  but  occasionally  thicker :  on 
examination,  however,  this  hollow  stem  is  found  to 
be  composed  of  a  flat  thin  ribbon,  abouth  one-sixth 
of  an  inch  in  width,  spirally  twisted  into  a  tube, 
the  edges  exactly  meeting  each  other,  and  adhering 
with  sufficient  firmness  to  allow  of  the  whole  stem 
being  skinned  without  separating:  in  this  state  it 
is  twisted  and  dried,  when  it  possesses  a  strength 
and  toughness  that  adapt  it  for  fishing-lines.  In 
Norway  it  is  collected  as  food  for  the  cattle.  The 
upper  portion  usually  floats  on  the  surface,  or  rather 
immediately  beneath  it,  often  in  such  abundance  as 
to  form  large  meadows,  as  it  were,  which  obstruct 
the  progress  of  boats.  The  fructification  of  this 
species  long  defied  the  investigations  of  botanists ; 
but  it  is  now  ascertained  to  consist  of  little  pear- 
shaped  capsules,  imbedded  in  the  surface,  and  much 
crowded,  which  the  gradual  melting  away  of  the 
skin  allows  to  escape.     One  of  the   most  interesting 


THE    SHORES    OF    BRITAIN.  45 

circumstances  connected  with  the  history  of  the  sea* 
plants  is,  the  beautiful  and  varied  apparatus  with 
which  many  of  them  are  provided  for  securing 
buoyancy.  It  seems  to  be  essential  to  their  health 
that  they  should  at  least  approach  the  surface,  but 
as  their  substance  is  specifically  heavier  than  water, 
many  of  them  are  greatly  lengthened,  and  fur- 
nished with  hollow  vessels  inflated  with  air,  by 
which  their  weight  is  diminished.  These  differ 
much  in  form  and  position  in  the  various  tribes ; 
in  the  Sea- wrack  (F.  vesiculosus),  we  saw  them  take 
the  form  of  bladders,  arranged  in  pairs  on  each  side 
of  the  midrib;  in  the  Knotted- wrack  (F.  nodosus) 
the  stem  swells  at  intervals  into  hollow  bulb-like 
dilatations,  while  in  the  long  Sea-lace  before  us. 
the  same  end  is  answered  by  dividing  the  hollow 
tube  into  chambers,  interrupted  at  short  distances 
by  portions  of  the  solid  substance  of  the  frond; 
the  cavities  being  filled  in  some  unknown  manner 
with  air,  probably  hydrogen  generated  by  the  plant 
itself. 

Many  of  the  Algae,  are  rather  extensively  used  as 
food;  and  though  to  one  unused  to  such  diet  they 
would  in  general  seem  to  offer  little  temptation  to 
the  appetite,  the  poorer  natives,  not  only  of  our  own 
but  of  other  shores,  eat  them  with  much  relish.  Let 
us  not  despise  their  taste,  though  differing  from  our 
own,  but  rather  adore  the  beneficence  of  God,  who 
has  supplied  in  much  abundance  an  additional  source 
of  nutriment,  and  has  conferred  on  the  recipients 
of  His  bounty  the  taste  requisite  for  its  enjoyment. 
From  the  quantity  of  saccharine  matter  which  they 


46  THE   OCEAN. 

contain,  many  of  these  plants  are  highly  nutritive, 
and  cattle  often  feed  on  them  with  greediness.  One 
of  the  species  most  extensively  eaten  is  that  known 
in  Scotland  by  the  name  of  Dulse  {Rhodomenia 
palmata).  It  exhibits  the  appearance  of  a  very 
thin,  membranaceous  leaf,  irregularly  oblong,  of  a 
purplish  colour,  or  sometimes  rosy-red:  there  is  no 
rib,  but  the  substance  is  uniform ;  it  grows  from 
three  inches  to  a  foot  in  length.  Before  the  in- 
troduction of  tobacco,  this  leaf  was  rolled  up  and 
chewed  in  the  same  manner  as  the  Virginian  leaf  is 
at  present.  It  is  an  important  plant  to  the  inhabit- 
ants of  Iceland;  they  wash  it  thoroughly  in  fresh 
water,  and  dry  it  in  the  air,  when  it  becomes  covered 
with  a  white  powdery  substance,  which  is  sweet  and 
palatable;  it  is  then  packed  in  close  casks,  and  pre- 
served for  eating.  It  is  used  in  this  state  with 
fish  and  butter,  or  else,  by  the  higher  classes, 
boiled  in  milk,  with  the  addition  of  rye-flour.  In 
Kamschatka,  a  fermented  liquor  is  produced  from  it. 
It  is  extremely  common  on  all  our  coasts,  and  being 
frequently  washed  on  shore,  is  sought  with  avidity 
by  the  cattle:  sheep  sometimes  go  so  for  in  the  pur- 
suit of  it  at  low  water  as  to  be  drowned  by  the 
returning  tide.  This  species,  with  another  which  I 
am  about  to  describe,  was,  until  recently,  so  much 
esteemed  by  our  northern  countrymen,  that  it  was 
publicly  sold  in  the  cities  as  an  article  of  regular 
consumption.  The  cry  of  "Buy  dulse  and  tangle," 
resounded  at  no  very  distant  period  even  through 
the  streets  of  Edinburgh.  The  latter  is  the  sea-weed, 
usually  called  in  England  the  Sea-girdle,  and  in  the 


THE    SHORES    OF    BRITAIN. 


47 


The  Sea-Girdle  (Laminaria  digitata). 


Orkneys  Red-ware  (Laminaria  digitata).  It  is  very 
common,  growing  chiefly  in  deep  water,  where  it 
is  protected  from  the  heavy  action  of  the  waves.  Its 
appearance  is  singular :  from  a  number  of  little  root- 
lets, which  grasp  with  great  tenacity  the  naked 
rock,  springs  a  straight  olive-brown  stem,  sometimes 
as  thick  as  a  man's  wrist,  and  three  or  four  feet 
long:  at  the  summit  it  dilates  into  a  broad  car- 
tilaginous  leaf,  oblong   in   form,  and    palmated,  or 


48  THE    OCEAN. 

divided  into  numerous  irregular  strips;  it  is  endowed 
with  the  power  of  renewing  its  frond  if  the  latter 
be  accidentally  destroyed.  Mr.  Johns  observes,* 
that  of  all  the  various  kinds  of  sea-weeds  thrown 
on  shore  during  a  storm,  Tangles  are  the  most  abun- 
dant: a  fact  which  he  explains  by  the  ravages  of 
a  species  of  limpet  {Patella  Icevis)  upon  their  stems 
and  rootlets.  When  cooked,  the  young  stalks  are 
said  to  be  not  unpleasant,  and  they  are  boiled  and 
given  to  cattle.  But,  as  we  are  informed  by  Mr. 
Neill,  "in  Scotland  the  stems  are  sometimes  put  to 
rather  an  unexpected  use,  the  making  of  knife- 
handles.  A  pretty  thick  stem  is  selected,  and  cut 
into  pieces  about  four  inches  long.  Into  these,  while 
fresh,  are  stuck  blades  of  knives,  such  as  gardeners 
use  for  pruning  and  grafting.  As  the  stem  dries,  it 
contracts  and  hardens,  closely  and  firmly  embracing 
the  hilt  of  the  blade.  In  the  course  of  some  months 
the  handles  become  quite  firm,  and  very  hard  and 
shrivelled,  so  that  when  tipped  with  metal  they  are 
hardly  to  be  distinguished  from  hartshorn." 

Much  resembling  this  species,  but  immensely 
larger,  is  the  plant  which  has  received  the  name 
of  Sea-furbelows  (L.  bullosa).  A  single  specimen, 
fresh  from  the  sea,  is  a  heavy  load  for  a  man's 
shoulder:  and  one  which  was  measured  by  Mrs. 
Griffiths,  when  spread  out,  covered  a  circular  space 
of  twelve  feet  in  diameter.  The  great  weight  of  the 
frond  in  this  species  requires  extraordinary  support 
against  the  force  of  the  waves,  which  else,  having 
so  strong  a  purchase,  would  soon  overturn  it.     To 

*  Botanical  Ramble?,  p.  286. 


THE    SHORES    OF    BRITAIN, 


49 


guard  against  this,  the  ordinary  mode  of  attachment 
to  the  rock  would  be  insufficient;  and,  instead  of 
the  primary  root,  the  base  of  the  stem  is  swollen  out 
into  a  large  hollow  bulb,  the  extended  surface  of 
which   putting  forth   powerful   rootlets  from   every 


The  Sea-Furbelows  (Laminaria  bulbosa). 


part  enables  the  plant  to  defy  the  violence  of  the 
winter  storm.  It  is  a  fact  worthy  of  our  notice  and 
admiration,  that  nothing  of  the  kind  takes  place 
while  the  plant  is  young  and  small;  it  is  only  when 
it  acquires  size  and  weight,  or,  in  other  words,  it  is 
only  when  additional  support  becomes  needful,  that 
this  extraordinary  but  most  effective  contrivance  is 
resorted  to.     The   English  name  of  the  species   is 

4  L 


50  THE  OCEAN. 

derived  from  the  edge  of  the  stem,  which  is  greatly 
dilated  and  curled  into  tortuous  waves  or  plaits. 

A  long,  narrow,  ribbon-like  leaf,  with  a  thick  mid- 
rib, grows  on  the  coast  of  Scotland,  where  it  is  called 
Hen- ware,  as  well  as  on  the  northern  shores  of  Ire- 
land, where  it  receives  the  appellation  of  Murlins. 
It  is  the  Alaria  esculenta  of  botanists.  It  is  of  a 
transparent  yellow-green,  and  in  the  herbarium  dries 
without  any  change,  and  has  a  very  beautiful  ap- 
pearance. The  midrib  is  the  part  usually  selected 
for  eating,  but  Mr.  Johns  gives  us  a  somewhat  unfa- 
vourable notion  of  its  quality.  "While  walking,'1 
he  observes,  "round  the  coast  near  the  Giants 
Causeway,  I  once  observed  a  number  of  men  and 
women  busily  employed  near  the  water's  edge;  and 
on  inquiring  of  my  guide,  found  that  they  were 
providing  themselves  with  food  for  their  next  meal. 
Being  curious  to  discover  what  kind  of  fare  the 
rocks  afforded,  I  stopped  one  of  the  men,  who  was 
going  home  with  his  bundle,  and  asked  him  to  give 
me  a  bit  to  taste,  prepared  in  the  way  in  which  it 
was  generally  eaten.  He  accordingly  stripped  off  all 
the  expanded  part  of  a  long  and  narrow  leaf,  and 
presented  me  with  a  stern,  or  midrib.  It  was,  I 
must  confess,  as  good  as  I  expected;  but  at  best  a 
very  sorry  substitute  for  a  raw  carrot,  combining 
with  the  hardness  of  the  latter  the  fishy  and  coppery 
flavour  of  an  oyster.  I  made  a  very  slight  repast,  as 
you  may  suppose;  and,  after  having  given  the  man  a 
few  pence  for  his  civility,  continued  my  walk.  My 
guide,  however,  seemed  to  think,  that  if  I  did  not 
choose  to  enjoy  to  the  full  the  advantage  which  I  had 


THE    SHORES    OF    BRITAIN.  51 

purchased,  there  was  no  reason  why  he  should  not. 
lie  accordingly  stayed  behind  for  a  minute  or  two, 
and  when  he  rejoined  me,  was  loaded  with  a  supply 
of  the  same  plant,  which  he  continued  to  munch 
with  much  apparent  relish  as  we  pursued  our  walk."* 
Mr.  Drummond,  however,  it  must  not  be  concealed, 
gives  a  somewhat  different  account,  both  of  the  part 
which  is  eaten  and  its  flavour,  and  as  his  observations 
refer  to  the  coast  of  Antrim,  it  is  not  easy  to  account 
for  the  conflicing  statements,  except  by  supposing 
some  variation  of  taste  in  different  neighbourhoods 
or  individuals.  The  latter  gentleman  says,  "It  is 
often  gathered  for  eating,  but  the  part  used  is  the 
leaflets,  and  not  the  midrib,  as  is  commonly  stated. 
These  have  a  very  pleasant  taste  and  flavour,  but 
soon  cover  the  roof  of  the  mouth  with  a  tenacious 
greenish  crust,  which  causes  a  sensation  somewhat 
like  that  of  the  fat  of  a  heart  or  kidney.  These 
leaflets  are  quite  membranaceous  when  young,  but 
in  full-grown  plants  are  fleshy,  and  at  their  middle 
a  quarter  of  an  inch  or  more  in  thickness. "f 

The  Dulse  of  the  Scottish  coast,  which  was  just 
now  described,  must  not  be  confounded  with  the 
Dulse  of  the  southern  shores  of  England.  This  is 
a  very  different  plant  (Iridcea  edulis),  having  little 
resemblance  to  it,  except  in  being  eatable.  It  con- 
sists of  a  short  stem  expanding  into  an  oval  leaf, 
without  rib  or  veins,  sometimes  a  foot  and  a  half 
long,  and  eight  or  ten  inches  wide.  It  is  thick  and 
fleshy,  of  a  deep  blood-red  hue,  the  surface  smooth 
and  glossy.     It  is  not  frequently  found,  however,  in 

*Bot.  Ram.  279.  f  MaS-  ZooL  aud  Bot-  iL  148- 


52  THE    OCEAN. 

a  perfect  state,  the  specimens  being  generally  torn 
and  perforated  in  every  possible  way.  These  defects 
have  usually  been  attributed  to  the  munching  of 
crabs,  which  are  said  to  be  fond  of  it ;  but  Mr. 
Drummond  is  of  opinion  that  portions  spontaneously 
separate  from  the  frond  and  drop  out.  Like  many 
other  Algce,  it  diffuses,  when  moist,  a  strong  smell 
of  violets.  The  fishermen  pinch  the  fleshy  frond 
between  heated  irons,  and  eat  it;  its  taste  is  said  to 
resemble  that  of  roasted  oysters.  Its  deep  colour 
may  yet  be  found  useful  in  the  arts:  Mr.  Stack- 
house  observes,*  "The  most  surprising  quality  of 
this  plant,  and  one  that  will  probably  render  it  of 
service  in  dyeing,  I  discovered  by  accident.  Having 
placed  some  of  the  leaves  to  macerate  in  sea-water, 
in  order  to  procure  seeds  from  it,  1  perceived,  on 
the  second  day,  a  faint  ruby  tint,  very  different  from 
the  colour  of  the  plant,  which  is  a  dull  red,  inclining 
to  chocolate  colour.  Being  surprised  at  this,  I  con- 
tinued the  maceration,  and  the  tint  grew  more  vivid, 
till  at  last  it  equalled  the  strongest  infusion  of  cochi- 
neal. This  liquor  was  mucilaginous,  and  had  a  re- 
markable property  of  being  of  a  changeable  colour; 
as  it  appeared  a  bright  ruby  when  held  to  the  light, 
and  a  muddy  saffron  when  viewed  in  a  contrary  direc- 
tion: this  probably  arose  from  a  mixture  of  the  frond 
in  the  liquor.  I  endeavoured  to  ascertain  its  dyeing 
powers  by  the  usual  process  without  success;  as  the 
quanity  of  tinging  matter  was  not  sufficient;  though 
if  attempted   at   large,   and   properly    evaporated,  it 

*  Nereis   Brit  p.  68,   ns  quotod  by   Turner,  Hist.  Fucorum,   li.   113; 
but  I  could  not  find  the  observation  in  Staekhouso. 


THE    SHORES    OF    BRITAIN.  53 

might  be  made  sufficiently  strong.  However,  an 
ingenious  chemical  friend  (the  Rev.  W.  Gregor) 
assures  me  he  has  procured  a  fine  lake  from  an 
infusion  of  it  by  means  of  alum." 

One  or  two  species  of  the  genus  Porphyra  are 
brought  to  our  tables,  stewed  under  the  name  of 
Laver,  and  are  thought  a  delicacy.  Mr.  Drummond 
informs  us  that  P.  lacimata,  called  Sloke  in  Ireland, 
is  gathered  during  the  winter  months  only,  the  fronds 
being  too  tough  in  the  summer.  After  being  pro- 
perly cleaned,  it  is  stewed  with  a  little  butter,  to 
prevent  its  getting  a  burnt  flavour,  and  is  brought  to 
Belfast,  where  it  is  sold  by  measure  usually  at  the 
rate  of  fivepence  per  quart.  Before  being  brought 
to  table,  it  is  again  heated  with  an  additional  quan- 
tity of  butter,  and  is  usually  eaten  with  vinegar  and 
pepper.  P.  vulgaris  is  worthy  of  notice  on  account 
of  the  extreme  difficulty  with  which  it  is  preserved 
in  a  herbarium  in  a  complete  state:  "not  that  there 
is  any  difficulty  in  spreading  and  going  through  the 
other  steps  of  the  process,  but  because  when  it  has 
nearly  arrived  at  the  last  stage  of  drying,  a  moment's 
exposure  to  the  air  will  cause  it  to  contract  so  in- 
stantaneously, that  the  edges  of  the  paper  are  imme- 
diately drawn  towards  each  other;  and  if  attempted 
to  be  restored  without  the  whole  being  first  damped, 
the  specimen  tears  through  the  middle,  and  becomes 
of  little  value.  The  edges  of  the  plant  adhere  strongly 
to  the  paper  when  dry,  or  nearly  so;  but  the  centre 
does  not  adhere  at  all,  and  being  as  fine  as  gold- 
beater's leaf,  though  having  considerable  strength, 
it  at  once  loses  the  little  moisture  it  possesses,  on 

£2 


54  THE    OCEAN. 

coming  in  contact  with  the  air,  and  contracts  with 
a  force  remarkable  when  we  consider  its  extreme 
thinness.  If  the  paper  be  thin,  its  four  corners  will 
in  a  moment  be  brought  almost  in  contact  with  each 
other."  The  best  method  of  obviating  this  incon- 
venience is  said  to  be,  when  we  suppose  it  is  almost 
dry,  to  have  a  flat  book  held  open,  and  the  pressure 
being  taken  off,  to  remove  the  specimen  along  with 
the  drying-paper  covering  it,  as  quickly  as  possible 
into  the  book,  which  must  be  instantly  shut,  and  not 
opened  till  the  next  day,  or  till  we  know  that  it  is 
thoroughly  dry.* 

There  is  a  substance  which  has  been  lately  intro- 
duced as  an  article  of  commerce,  intended  as  a  sub- 
stitute for  Iceland  moss,  and  sold  by  the  London 
druggists  by  the  name  of  Carrageen  moss ;  notwith- 
standing its  name,  however,  it  is  a  true  Alga,  Chon- 
drus  orients.  It  is  an  exceedingly  variable  species, 
but  its  most  usual  form  is  that  of  a  flat  leaf,  spreading 
somewhat  triangularly,  or  rather  so  as  to  give  to  its 
outline  the  figure  of  one-fourth  of  a  circle:  the  edge 
is  branched  into  numerous  flat  segments  overlapping 
one  another.  When  viewed  under  water,  in  a  grow- 
ing state,  it  gives  out  beautiful  prismatic  hues.  Con- 
taining a  large  quantity  of  gelatine,  it  has  been  suc- 
cessfully applied,  instead  of  isinglass,  in  the  making 
of  blanc-mange  and  jellies.  A  fucus,  probably  allied 
to  this,  found  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  is  boiled 
into  a  jelly,  and,  being  mixed  with  sugar  and  the  juice 
of  lemons  or  oranges,  makes  a  very  agreeable  dish. 

I  shall  notice  a  few  other  Alga,  remarkable  either 

*  Drumuioud. 


THE   SHORES   OF   BRITAIN.  55 

for  singularity  or  beauty,  and  then  dismiss  these  in- 
teresting tribes.  The  common  Sea-thong  (Himan* 
thalia  bred),  so  generally  distributed,  is  worthy  of 
observation  on  account  of  its  curious  mode  of  growth. 
From  a  shallow  cup,  affixed  to  the  rock  by  a  short 
foot-stalk,  spring  two  or  three  long,  olive-coloured 
straps,  each  of  which  becomes  divided  into  two,  and 
each  of  these  into  two  more,  in  succession :  these 
attain  commonly  the  length  of  eight  or  ten  feet, 
and  have  been  asserted  to  reach  even  twenty  feet. 
The  thongs  have  been  usually  considered  the  fronds 
of  this  species  ;  but  Dr.  Greville  thinks  that  the  sin- 
gular cup  is  the  true  frond,  and  the  thongs  the  re- 
ceptacles of  the  seed  greatly  lengthened.  The  surface 
of  the  thong  is  studded  with  tubercles,  from  which 
are  discharged  the  seeds,  accompanied  with  much 
mucus,  through  the  pores.  The  cup  of  this  species 
has  been  occasionally  observed  on  exposed  rocks, 
swollen  into  a  large  hollow  smooth  black  ball,  ex- 
actly round,  perhaps  caused  by  the  heat  of  the 
sun  rarefying  and  expanding  the  contained  air,  or 
being  perhaps  the  indication  of  a  diseased  state  of 
the  plant. 

A  very  remarkable  form,  and  one  of  singular 
beauty,  is  presented  by  the  Peacock's  tail  (Padina 
pavonia),  a  species  not  uncommon,  attached  to 
rocks  at  the  bottom  of  still,  and  generally  shallow, 
marine  pools.  The  fronds  rise  in  form  of  a  rounded 
fan,  of  a  yellowish-olive  tint,  elegantly  marked  with 
concentric  zones  or  bands,  of  a  dark  brown.  One 
side,  and  sometimes  both,  is  generally  hoary,  as  if 
dusted  with  powder,  and  the  outer  edge  is  delicately 


The  Peacock's  Tail    (Padina  pavonin). 


fringed  with  exceedingly  minute  filaments,  which,  in 
a  living  state,  often  reflect  the  prismatic  colours  of 
the  rainbow. 

Perhaps  the  most  lovely  of  all  the  Fuci  is  the  De- 
Tessena  sanguined,  which  is  a  common  species.  It 
consists  of  several  oblong-oval  or  pointed  leaves,  of 
extreme  delicacy,  with  the  edges  very  much  waved 
or  plaited,  furnished  with  a  midrib  and  side-veins, 
which  materially  increase  their  leaf-like  appearance; 
the  colour  is  an  exceedingly  rich  rose-pink.  The 
midrib  often  throws  out  smaller  leaves,  which,  if 
the  main  frond  be  destroyed,  soon  attains  its  usual 
size;  an  interesting  provision  against  the  accidents 
to  which  these  apparently  frail  plants  are  neces- 
sarily exposed.  The  fructification  of  this  genus  is 
curious,    as    being   of    a    twofold    character :    both 


THE    SHORES   OF   BRITAIN.  5f 

forms  are  found  in  the  winter,  affixed  to  the  mid- 
rib, which  alone  survives  that  season,  the  foliaceous 
part  having  all  decayed  away.  The  one  mode  is 
by  means  of  nearly  globular  capsules  attached  to 
the  rib  by  short  foot-stalks,  and  inclosing  many  ir- 
regularly-shaped seeds ;  the  other  is  by  small  mem- 
branaceous, leaf-like  processes,  likewise  containing 
seeds.  These  two  kinds  of  fructification  occur  on 
distinct  individuals.  This  charming  fucus,  of  which 
no  adequate  idea  can  be  formed,  by  a  verbal  de- 
scription, retains  much  of  its  beauty  when  dried, 
and  is  very  easily  preserved.  It  is  a  pity  that  I  am 
obliged  to  confess  that  its  odour  is  very  unpleasant, 
being  rank  and  pungent. 

Some  of  those  species,  wdiose  fronds  are  very  de- 
licately and  numerously  ramified,  have  been  used 
to  form  mimic  pictures.  By  skilful  arrangement, 
very  pretty  landscapes  are  thus  made,  the  forms  and 
foliage  of  trees  being  beautifully  imitated.  The 
kinds  most  commonly  appropriated  for  this  purpose 
are  Plocamium  coccineum  and  Gelidium  eartilagi- 
neum,  which  have  a  very  beautiful  eifect  if  simply 
expanded  on  smooth  white  paper,  or  on  the  pearly 
inner  surface  of  large  shells.  The  whole  order  Flo- 
ridece}  to  which  these  belong,  is  remarkable  for  bril- 
liant hues,  and  often  elegant  forms. 

Like  their  kindred,  the  plants  of  the  earth  and  air, 
the  sea- weeds  have  their  parasites.  As  the  Tilland- 
sia  grows  on  the  giants  of  the  tropical  forests,  and  as 
the  mistletoe  grows  upon  the  apple-tree  of  our  own 
orchards,  so  do  some  of  these  draw  their  nourish- 
ment, or  at  least  derive  their  support,  from  the  fronds 


58 


THE   OCEAN. 


or  stalks  of  others.  Ptilota  plumosa,  for  example,  a 
delicately-feathered  species,  of  a  pink  or  purplish 
hue,  is  found  to  be  parasitieal  on  the  common  tan- 
gle. It  is  justly  considered  one  of  the  ornaments  of 
our  southern  shores,  but  becomes  still  finer  as  we 
approach  a  more  southern  latitude.  This  must  not 
be  confounded  with  another  elegant  little  plant  bear- 
ing the  same  specific  name,  but  belonging  to  a  dif- 


Bryopsis  Plumosa. 


ferent  genus,  Bryopsis  plumosa.  The  tribe  of  which 
the  latter  is  a  member  is  remarkable  for  its  delicacy : 
in  the  one  now  mentioned  the  main  stem  is  very 
slender,  set  with  horizontally-spreading  branches, 
like  a  pine-tree,  each  of  which  is  most  elegantly  fea- 
thered. Its  colour  is  a  bright  grass-green,  and  the 
whole  surface  shines  as  if  it  were  varnished.     It  is 


THE    SHORES   OF    BRITAIN.  59 

so  delicate  that  in  drying,  the  colouring  matter 
contracts  in  the  stem,  leaving  interrupted  spaces 
destitute  of  colour,  and  perfectly  transparent. 

These  are  but  a  very  few  of  the  multitudinous  sea- 
weeds which  would  come  under  the  notice  of  an 
observant  visitor  to  our  own  rocky  shores ;  yet  how 
manifold  are  the  indications  of  infinite  intelligence 
and  goodness  even  in  these  things  proverbial  for 
their  vileness!  And  while  we  gratefully  acknow- 
ledge the  Divine  hand  in  such  species  as  conduce  to 
man's  sustenance  or  comfort,  may  we  not,  from  the 
lavish  beauty  and  elegance  of  such  as  are  of  no  direct 
benefit  to  us,  legitimately  draw  the  same  consola- 
tory inference  which  the  Saviour  drew  from  the 
lovely  lilies  at  His  feet  ?  If  God  so  clothe  these 
obscure  caverns  and  submerged  rocks,  will  He  not 
much  more  care  for  those  whom  He  has  redeemed 
with  the  blood,  and  conformed  to  the  image,  of  His 
Son  ?  Nor  is  the  relation  which  He  sustains  to  these 
frail  and  perishing  weeds  limited  to  an  exertion  of 
creative  power.  All  are  marshalled  in  order,  each  is 
provided  incessantly  with  the  requisite  supplies  for 
its  welfare,  and  each  is  assigned  to  that  particular 
locality  which  suits  its  habit  of  growth,  and  where 
alone  it  flourishes.  On  this  subject  Mr.  Neill 
observes,  "On  our  open  shores  a  certain  order  is 
observed  in  the  habitat  of  the  Fuci,  each  species 
occupying  pretty  regularly  its  own  zone  or  station. 
Chorda  fhim,  or  Sea-laces,  grows  in  water  some 
fathoms  deep :  in  places  where  the  tide  seldom  en- 
tirely ebbs,  but  generally  leaves  from  two  to  three 
feet  of  water,  grow  Alaria  esculenta  and  Laminaria 


60  THE    OCEAN. 

bulbosa,  and  the  larger  specimens  of  L.  digitata  and 
saccharina,  with  some  small  kinds,  as  Ithodomenia 
palmata,  Halidrys  siliquosa,  and  Delesseria  sanguined. 
In  places  uncovered  only  at  the  lowest  ebbs,  smaller 
plants  of  L.  digitata  and  saccharina  abound  with 
Himanthalia  lorea,  or  Sea-thongs.  On  the  beaches 
uncovered  by  every  tide,  F.  serratus  occurs  lowest 
down,  along  with  Chondrus  crispus  and  mammilhsus  ; 
next  comes  F.  nodosus,  and  higher  up,  F.  vesiculosus. 
Beyond  this,  F.  canaliculatus  still  grows,  thriving 
very  well  if  only  wet  at  flood  tide,  though  liable 
to  become  dry  and  shrivelled  during  a  great  part  of 
the  day.  Lastly,  Lichina  pygmoea  is  satisfied  if  it  be 
within  reach  of  the  spray."* 

In  examining  these  Algse,  and  especially  if  we 
collect  them  for  preservation,  we  shall  find  very  fre- 
quently entangled  among  them,  branches  of  a  sub- 
stance which  adheres  with  so  much  tenacity  as  to 
cause  no  little  trouble  in  cleansing  the  specimens. 
I  refer  to  the  common  Coralline  {Corallina  offici- 
nalis). No  organic  substances  have  so  much  divided 
naturalists  in  opinion  as  to  their  real  nature  as  the 
Corallines.  Evidently  placed  on  the  very  verge  of 
the  animal  or  vegetable  kingdom,  it  required  a 
minute  acquaintance  with  their  structure,  derived 
from  the  closest  observation,  and  all  the  research 
of  modern  science,  to  decide  the  long  uncertain 
question,  and  to  fix  them  where  they  now  by  com- 
mon consent  hold  their  place  among  the  vegetable 

tribes.     The    one  of   which  I  speak,  and    the   most 
% 
*Bdin.   Encyc.  Art,  "Fuel."     Most  of  the  species  ben  alludwd  to  I 
havo  described  above. 


THE   SHORES   OF   BRITAIN.  g| 

common,  being  abundant  on  every  rocky  shore,  or- 
dinarily presents,  though  subject  to  much  variation, 
the  form  of  a  spreading  bushy  tuft,  from  one  to 
four  inches  high,  growing  from  a  broad  stony  base, 
of  a  shape  more  or  less  round.  Each  branch  con- 
sists of  many  short  joints,  a  little  broader  at  the 
upper  than  at  the  lower  end,  which  often  send  out 
other  jointed  branches  from  each  upper  shoulder,  as 
well  as  from  the  centre.     The  joints  are  of  a  stony 


Coralline  (CoralUna  officinalis). 

or  rather  shelly  consistence,  being  chiefly  a  deposit 
of  lime ;  when  dead  they  are  perfectly  white,  but 
in  a  living  state  they  assume  a  purplish  tint.  Lin- 
nasus  and  many  other  eminent  men  were  deceived 
by  this  shelly  appearance  into  an  opinion  of  their 
animal  nature,  maintaining  that  animals  alone  ever 
produced  lime.  But  on  removing  the  calcareous 
deposit,  wre  perceive    that  it    is  merely  a  crust    en. 

F 


62  THE    OCEAN. 

veloping  an  axis  of  an  evidently  vegetable  character. 
On  placing  the  Coralline  in  vinegar,  or  other  weak 
acid,  the  lime  is  dissolved,  leaving  the  vegetable 
part  coloured  as  before,  which,  though  continuous 
through  its  length,  is  constricted  at  the  parts  which 
corresponded  to  the  joints  of  the  crust,  and  looks 
very  much  like  one  of  the  jointed  Fuci.  It  is  very 
common  to  see  the  broad  base  without  any  jointed 
branches,  for  the  former  attains  some  size  before 
the  latter  shoot,  and  may  be  seen  in  this  state  on 
almost  every  object  between  the  range  of  high  and 
low  tide.  It  first  appears  as  a  thin,  round,  shelly 
patch  of  a  purplish  hue,  on  the  shell  of  a  Mollusk, 
or  the  frond  of  a  Fucus,  or  the  smooth  rock, 
and  gradually  enlarges  by  additions  at  the  edge, 
the  progress  of  which  is  marked  by  concentric 
zones,  or  rings  of  a  paler  tint,  till  it  sometimes 
attains  several  inches  in  diameter.  It  is  tenacious 
of  vitality,  and  when  the  branches  are  all  torn  off 
by  the  violence  of  the  waves  or  other  accidents, 
the  base  still  lives  on,  and  becomes  studded  with 
roundish  knobs.  This  base,  when  growing  on  a 
soft  calcareous  rock,  will  often  increase  much  in 
thickness,  without  showing  any  tendency  to  throw 
out  its  jointed  branches;  or  in  situations  where  it 
is  long  uncovered  by  the  tide,  and  exposed  to  the 
influence  of  the  sun,  it  becomes  "a  softish  white, 
leprous  crust."  Its  ordinary  form,  however,  is  by 
far  the  most  pleasing,  particularly  when  growing,  as 
they  delight  to  do,  on  the  sides  of  the  still,  rocky 
pools  already  described,  their  bushy  tufts  grace- 
fully  hanging   over  each   other,  like  weeping  wil- 


THE   SHORES?  OF   BRITAIN.  63 

lows  in  miniature.  Beyond  its  beauty  I  know 
not  that  this  little  creature  has  any  obvious  claim 
to  our  consideration,  except  that,  in  common  with 
other  sea-plants,  it  gives  out  oxygen,  and  thus 
maintains  the  element  in  which  it  grows  in  a  state 
fit  for  the  support  of  animal  life.  But  this  is  a 
service  vastly  important,  and  explains  why  the 
"  floor  of  the  ocean"  is  covered,  as  it  appears  to 
be,  with  such  a  prolusion  of  vegetable  life.  And 
here  so  wisely  is  the  balance  kept  up  between  the 
animals  which  absorb  oxygen  and  the  plants  which 
evolve  it,  that,  perhaps,  the  world  could  not  afford 
to  lose  a  single  species  of  either  without  derange- 
ment of  the  existing  order,  which  would  be  fol- 
lowed by  manifest  inconvenience.  Of  course  our 
little  Coralline  cannot  do  much  to  promote  this 
object ;  but  that  it  does  exert  some  beneficial  in- 
fluence, we  have  evidence  in  an  experiment  of 
Dr.  Johnston,  whose  researches  on  these  neglected 
tribes  are  so  interesting.  "Was  there  a  need,"  he 
observes,  "  of  adding  any  additional  proof  of  the 
vegetability  of  the  Corallines,  an  experiment  in  pro- 
gress before  me  would  seem  to  supply  it.  It  is 
now  eight  weeks  ago  since  I  placed  in  a  small 
glass  jar,  containing  about  six  ounces  of  pure  sea- 
water,  a  tuft  of  the  living  CoraUina  officinalis,  to 
which  were  attached  two  or  three  minute  Conferva?, 
and  the  very  young  frond  of  a  green  Ulua,  while 
numerous  Rissoce,  several  little  Mussels,  and  An- 
nelides,  and  a  Star-fish,  were  crawling  amid  the 
branches.  The  jar  was  placed  on  a  table,  and  was 
seldom   disturbed,   though  occasionally  looked    at; 


G4  THE    OCEAN. 

and  at  the  end  of  four  weeks  the  water  was  found 
to  be  still  pure,  the  Mollusca  and  other  animals  all 
alive  and  active,  the  Confervce  had  grown  percep- 
tibly, and  the  Coralline  itself  had  thrown  out  some 
new  shoots,  and  several  additional  articulations. 
Eight  weeks  have  now  elapsed  since  the  experi- 
ment was  begun, — the  water  has  remained  un- 
changed,— yet  the  Coralline  is  growing,  and  appa- 
rently has  lost  none  of  its  vitality  ;  but  the  animals 
have  sensibly  decreased  in  number,  though  many 
of  them  continue  to  be  active,  and  show  no  dis- 
like to  their  situation.  What  can  be  more  conclu- 
sive? I  need  not  say  that  if  any  animal,  or  even  a 
sponge,  had  been  so  confined,  the  water  would  long 
before  this  time  have  been  deprived  of  its  oxygen, 
would  have  become  corrupt  and  ammoniacal,  and 
poisonous  to  the  life  of  every  living  thing."* 

Who  is  not  familiar  with  Sponge, — with  its-soft- 
ness, its  elasticity,  its  capacity  of  absorbing  and  re- 
taining fluids,  and  other  qualities  which  render  it  so 
valuable  in  domestic  economy?  And  yet  how  few 
are  aware  that  it  is  the  skeleton  of  an  animal !  In 
fact,  Sponge  is  one  of  those  dubious  forms  which 
God  has  placed  in  the  great  system  of  Creation,  on 
the  confines  of  the  two  great  divisions  of  organic 
beings,  apparently  having  little  in  common  with 
either.  Like  the  Corallines,  the  Sponges  have  af- 
forded occasion  for  much  controversy  as  to  their 
proper  position ;  but  they  arc  now  pretty  unani- 
mously assigned  to  the  animal  kingdom.  The  com- 
mon Sponge  of  household  purposes  (Sjxmgia  offici- 

*  British  Sponges,  p.  215. 


THE    SHORES    OF    BRITAIN.  65 

7ialis)  is  a  native  of  the  Mediterranean,  but  is  much 
more  familiar  to  us  than  our  native  species,  of  which 
there  are  many.  The  appearance  which  it  presents 
is  that  of  an  irregularly-shaped  mass,  more  or  less 
rounded,  composed  of  a  brown  woolly  substance, 
perforated  by  innumerable  pores  in  all  directions, 
and  having  in  addition,  wide  canals  communicating 
with  each  other,  and  terminating  in  round  holes  or 
mouths  on  the  surface.  But  if  we  take  a  small  por- 
tion of  the  substance,  and  place  it  under  a  common 
magnifying  lens,  we  shall  see  that  it  is  composed  of 
shining,  horny,  nearly-transparent  fibres,  which,  by 
uniting  with  each  other  at  all  angles  and  distances, 
form  a  loose  and  very  irregular  network.  Now, 
when  in  a  living  state,  every  fibre  was  enclosed  in  a 
coating  of  thin,  clear  jelly,  which  formed  the  living 
animal,  the  horny  fibres  constituting,  as  I  have  inti- 
mated above,  only  the  skeleton.  Imbedded  in  the 
substance  of  many  species,  some  British  ones,  for 
example,  are  found  spiculce,  or  needle-like  crystals, 
of  pure  flint,  varying  much  in  shape  in  various  kinds, 
while  other  species  have  similar  crystals  of  lime. 
Where  these  occur  in  considerable  numbers,  the 
Sponge  does  not  possess  elasticity :  it  may  be 
crushed,  but  it  will  not  regain  its  original  form. 
It  is  a  singular  fact,  that  Sponges  of  these  three 
different  kinds  are  sometimes  found  growing  close 
to  each  other,  and  all  alike  nourished  by  the  same 
simple  fluid,  pure  sea- water ;  yet  they  elaborate 
therefrom  products  so  different  as  horn,  flint,  and 
lime.  The  animal  nature  of  Sponges  is  not  easily 
to  be  detected :  no  indication  of  sensation  has  ever 
5  f  2 


66  THE  OCEAN. 

been  perceived  in  them  when  living,  even  though 
violence  in  many  modes  has  been  offered  to  them ; 
though  beaten,  pinched  with  hot  irons,  cut  or  torn, 
or  subjected  to  the  action  of  the  strongest  acids. 
The  substance  may  be  destroyed,  but  there  is  no 
contraction,  nor  the  slightest  evidence  of  feeling; 
to  all  appearance  they  are  as  passive  as  the  rock  on 
which  they  grow.  One  proof  of  their  animality, 
however,  is  open  to  any  one  :  we  are  all  familiar 
with  a  peculiar  smell  produced  when  horn,  wool, 
feathers,  &c,  are  burned ;  this  smell  arises  from  the 
presence  of  ammonia,  and  is  peculiar  to  animal  mat- 
ter ;  on  burning  a  bit  of  Sponge  this  animal  odour 
is  strongly  perceptible.  On  viewing  a  living  Sponge, 
however,  in  water,  with  care  and  attention,  it  is 
found  to  exhibit  a  constant  and  energetic  action, 
which  sufficiently  shows  its  vitality.  Dr.  Grant's 
account  of  his  discovery  of  this  motion  in  a  native 
species  is  so  interesting,  that,  though  I  have  quoted 
it  in  another  treatise,  I  may  be  forgiven  for  repeat- 
ing it  here.  "I  put  a  small  branch  of  the  Sjwngia 
coalita,  with  some  sea-water,  into  a  watch-glass, 
under  the  microscope :  and  on  reflecting  the  light 
of  a  candle  through  the  fluid,  I  soon  perceived  that 
there  was  some  intestine  motion  in  the  opaque  par- 
ticles floating  through  the  water.  On  moving  the 
watch-glass,  so  as  to  bring  one  of  the  apertures  on 
the  side  of  the  Sponge  fully  into  view,  I  beheld,  for 
the  first  time,  the  splendid  spectacle  of  this  living 
fountain  vomiting  fortli  from  a  circulnr  cavity  an 
impetuous  torrent  of  liquid  matter,  and  hurling 
along  in  rapid  succession,  opaque  masses,  which  it 


THE    SHORES    OF   BRITAIN.  67 

strewed  every  where  around.  The  beauty  and  no- 
velty of  such  a  scene  in  the  animal  kingdom  long 
arrested  my  attention;  but  after  twenty-five  minutes 
of  constant  observation,  I  was  obliged  to  withdraw 
my  eye  from  fatigue,  without  having  seen  the  tor- 
rent for  one  instant  change  its  direction,  or  diminish 
in  the  slightest  degree  the  rapidity  of  its  course.  I 
continued  to  watch  the  same  orifice,  at  short  inter- 
vals, for  five  hours,  sometimes  observing  it  for  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  at  a  time ;  but  still  the  stream 
rolled  on  with  a  constant  and  equal  velocity." 

Sponges,  in  general,  appear  co  have  little  choice 
of  situation,  but  to  grow  wherever  the  young  offset 
or  gemmule  happens  to  drop,  whether  on  the  rock, 
on  a  shell,  or  on  a  sea- weed.  If  two  of  the  same 
species,  growing  side  by  side,  come  into  contact, 
their  edges  unite,  and  the  two  form  one  mass,  so 
perfectly  one  that  the  most  practised  eye  could  de- 
tect no  indication  of  the  line  of  union.  On  the  con- 
trary, if  the  neighbours  be  of  different  species,  the 
edges  adhere  by  contact,  but  there  is  no  union;  and 
both  of  the  contiguous  edges  will  grow  up  far  be- 
yond their  natural  level,  like  walls  striving  to  over- 
top each  other,  until  the  action  of  the  waves  pre- 
vents the  continuance  of  a  mode  of  growth  so  un- 
natural. Dr.  Johnston  speaks  of  two  species  of 
Sponge  which  had  become  so  intermingled  in 
growth,  without  being  united,  that,  being  of  differ- 
ent colours,  they  presented  the  appearance  of  a 
coloured  map.  The  same  writer  has  figured  a  much- 
branched  species  (Halichondria  oculata),  growing  on 
the  back  of  a  small  crab :  the  latter  has  a  grotesque 


0,8  THE   OCEAN. 

appearance  crawling  under  the  perpetual  shadow  of 
its  own  tree,  the  burden  of  whose  weight,  however, 
was  probably  more  than  compensated  by  the  pro- 
tection it  afforded  against  enemies. 

A  singular  little  creature,  called  the  Hermit  Crab 
(Pa gurus),  the  hinder  part  of  whose  body  is  unpro- 
tected, except  by  a  soft  skin,  is  endowed  with  an 
instinct  which  prompts  it  to  seek  some  univalve 
shells,  into  which  it  thrusts  its  abdomen,  henceforth 
using  it  as  a  house.  Now  there  is  a  species  of 
Sponge  found  on  our  coast  (H.  suberea),  of  a  corky 
substance,  which  grows  on  the  surface  of  similar 
shells,  overspreading  and  enveloping  them ;  and  it 
so  happens  that  in  the  great  majority  of  instauces, 
the  Sponge  is  found  upon  the  individual  shells  in- 
habited by  the  Hermit.  Gradually  and  insensibly 
the  Sponge  grows  over  the  shell,  and  at  length  creeps 
round  the  edge  of  the  lip,  and  begins  to  line  the 
inside :  the  constant  motion  of  the  crab,  who  is  very 
active,  retards  the  growth  for  awhile,  but  eventually 
the  Sponge  prevails,  and  the  Hermit,  rinding  his  pre- 
mises becoming  every  day  more  and  more  contracted, 
is  at  length  compelled  to  seek  another  lodging.  A 
proceeding  very  similar  to  this,  but  which  the  Her- 
mit Crab  finds  rather  to  his  advantage  than  discom- 
fort, takes  place  in  the  growth  of  a  species  of  Coral 
(Aleyonium  eehinatum).  This  coral  also  very  fre- 
quently grows  on  a  shell  selected  for  a  habitation 
by  the  little  crab;  but  as  it  grows,  it  docs  not  line 
the  shell,  but  becomes  moulded,  as  it  were,  to  the 
form  of  the  enclosed  animal,  thus  increasing  the  size 
and  commodiousness  of  the  dwelling,  and  precluding 


THE    SHORES    OF    V,  KIT  A IX. 


69 


the  necessity  of  quitting  the  tenement.  Mr.  Gray 
remarks  on  this : — "  One  can  understand  that  the 
Crab  may  have  the  instinct  to  search  for  shells  on 
which  the  coral  has  begun  to  grow;  but  this  will 
scarcely  explain  why  we  never  find  the  coral  except 
on  shells  in  which  Hermit  Crabs  have  taken  up  their 
residence." 

One  of  the  most  pleasing  forms  that  are  presented 
by  the  Sponges,  which  are  exceedingly  various,  is 
that  of  a  cup  with  a  dilated  foot;  it  is  about  as  large 
as  a  tea-cup,  but  is  more  funnel-shaped,  whence  its 
name  (H.  infundibuliformis).  A  similar  species  from 
the  Indian  seas,  commonly  called  Neptune's  Cup, 
though  much  larger,  is  inferior  to  our  little  goblet  in 
neatness  of  appearance  and  sponginess  of  texture. 

Our  shores  abound  with  examples  of  those  asto- 
nishing  forms  of  animal  life,  the  Polypes,  both  simple 
and  aggregated.  The  former  under  the  names  of 
Animal-flowers,  and  Sea-anemones,  have  attracted 
general  admiration  from  their  intrinsic  beauty,  and 
from  their  very  close  resemblance  to  composite 
flowers.  When  out  of  water,  or  reposing,  they 
usually  take  a  semi-globular  shape,  adhering  by  a 
broad  base  to  the  rocks,  but  some  are  somewhat 
lengthened  and  cylindrical.  The  centre  of  the  upper 
surface  is  depressed,  and  there  is  evidently  an  aper- 
ture which  has  been  closed.  When  seeking  for  prey 
this  orifice  opens,  by  its  edges  turning  inside  out,  as 
it  were,  and  dilates,  until  it  is  as  wide  as  the  base; 
while  from  within  the  lip,  or  outer  rim,  protrude  a 
multitude  of  fleshy  rays,  called  tentacula,  arranged 
in  three  or  four  rows  extending  all  round.     In  the 


70  THE   OCEAN 

centre  of  the  expanding  disk  is  the  real  mouth,  or 
opening  into  the  stomach.  It  is  these  tentacula, 
which,  spreading  around  exactly  like  the  rays  of 
an  aster  or  marigold,  give  to  the  Polype  so  striking 
a  likeness  of  a  flower.  These  animals  are  exceed- 
ingly voracious ;  though  when  closed,  you  would 
think  them  a  mere  lump  of  jelly-like  flesh,  utterly 
helpless  and  incapable  of  any  exertion ;  yet  when 
the  tentacula  are  all  expanded,  no  small  crab,  or 
shrimp,  or  mussel,  can  even  touch  one  of  them  with 
impunity.  From  some  cause,  not  thoroughly  under- 
stood, each  tentacle  has  the  power  of  adhering  with 
wonderful  tenacity  to  any  object  on  the  slightest  con- 
tact. I  have  often  been  surprised  at  the  force  re- 
quired to  draw  away  my  finger  when  I  have  gently 
touched  one.  No  sooner,  then,  has  some  little 
shelled  Mollusk  been  thus  caught,  than  instantly 
other  tentacles  lay  hold  of  it  also,  and  it  is  inevitably 
dragged  by  their  contraction  into  the  mouth.  It 
remains  in  the  stomach  a  few  hours,  when  the  shell, 
entirely  cleared  of  all  the  meat,  is  vomited  through 
the  mouth,  there  being  but  one  orifice  to  the  body. 
The  Polype  is  capable  of  great  dilatation,  which  en- 
ables it  to  swallow  an  animal  even  much  larger  than 
the  ordinary  dimensions  of  its  own  body.  A  very 
curious  instance  of  this  I  shall  presently  mention ; 
but  first  I  must  allude  to  that  which  forms  the  most 
wonderful  feature  in  its  history,  the  power  of  repro- 
ducing any  parts  that  have  been  cut  off.  To  so 
great  an  extent  does  this  power  prevail,  that  even 
if  cut  into  many  parts,  each  separate  part  will  put 
forth  the  parts  wanting,  and  soon  become  a  complete 


THE    SHORES    OF    BRITAIN.  7 1 

animal.  For  example,  if,  with  a  sharp  knife,  a  Po- 
lype be  cut  into  two  by  a  horizontal  section,  midway 
between  the  tentacles  and  the  base,  the  upper  por- 
tion will  adhere  to  a  rock,  close  the  bottom  of  the 
stomach,  and  take  its  former  shape  ;  the  under  part 
will  throw  out  rudimentary  tentacles  around  the 
centre,  which  will  soon  be  in  a  condition  to  take 
food,  and  the  original  form  and  functions  will  be 
displayed  by  this  portion  also.  Nay,  it  has  even 
been  found  that  if,  as  often  happens,  the  animal, 
being  violently  removed  from  its  support,  leave  be- 
hind any  fragments  of  its  base  still  adhering,  each 
of  these  torn  portions  will,  in  a  short  time,  acquire 
all  the  parts  of  the  perfect  animal.  These  powers 
strongly  remind  one  of  vegetable  life ;  for  it  is  as  if 
one  were  making  cuttings,  and  consequently  new 
plants,  of  a  fuchsia  or  verbena.  The  ordinary  mode 
in  which  the  Polypes  continue  their  race  is  very 
plant-like;  the  young  grow  from  any  part  of  the 
surface  like  little  buds,  and  when  they  have  at- 
tained the  form  of  the  parent,  drop  off;  often,  how- 
ever, they  are  vomited  through  the  mouth.  Any 
of  my  young  readers  who  live  near  the  coast  may 
easily  verify  these  observations;  but  I  would  not 
recommend  the  artificial  mode  of  increasing  the 
animals,  because,  though  it  may  well  be  doubted 
whether  they  are  susceptible  of  pain,  such  experi- 
ments have  an  appearance  of  cruelty  at  least,  which 
it  is  well  to  avoid.  In  some  situations  you  will 
find  in  abundance  Actinia  gemmacea,  the  most  lovely 
of  our  native  animal  flowers,  which  I  will  describe. 
When  closed,  it  is  of  a  rounded  or  sometimes  oval 


72  THE    OCEAN. 

shape,  somewhat  flattened,  about  an  inch  and  a 
half  in  diameter,  very  variable  in  colour :  some- 
times being  of  a  brilliant  scarlet  with  pale  warts, 
like  rows  of  ornamental  beads;  at  other  times  it 
is  of  a  sulphur  yellow,  or  pale  green,  with  stripes 
of  orange  colour ;  and  I  have  seen  specimens  of 
a  lively  rose-pink,  studded  with  green  dots.  When 
expanded,  it  displays  three  or  four  circles  of  ten- 
tacles, which  are  rather  short  and  thick,  and  varie- 
gated with  white  and  red  in  alternate  rings. 
Sometimes,  by  imbibing  a  large  quantity  of  water, 
it  becomes  distended  to  twice  its  usual  dimensions, 
and  is  then  nearly  transparent.  There  is  an  in- 
stinct displayed  by  this  species,  which  one  would 
not  expect  to  find  in  a  creature  of  so  low  an  organ- 
ization, and  which  is  worthy  of  our  admiration, 
as  showing  how  mindful  the  gracious  Creator  and 
Preserver  is  of  His  creatures'  well-being.  Such 
individuals  as  have  taken  up  their  residence  upon 
the  half-submerged  rocks,  where  the  daily  recess 
of  the  tide  exposes  them  to  observation,  are  covered 
with  rough  warts,  and  blotched  with  dusky  brown 
and  dull  orange,  and  are  coated  with  fragments  of 
shells,  sea- weed,  and  gravel,  which  adhere  to  the 
skin  by  a  glutinous  secretion,  so  strongly  as  not 
to  be  washed  off;  and  being  thus  veiled,  the  ani- 
mals defy  detection.  On  the  other  hand,  those 
specimens  which  live  in  deep  water,  as  if  aware 
that  the  necessity  for  concealment  no  longer  ex- 
ists, have  nothing  of  the  kind,  their  skins  are 
smooth  and  naked,  and  adorned  with  the  vivid 
tints  which  make    this   species    so    beautiful.     The 


THE    SHORES    OF    BRITAIN.  f3 

Actinia  are  easily  procured,  and  kept  alive  a  long 
time  in  sea- water  without  difficulty ;  in  a  glass 
vessel  their  beauty  is  displayed  to  advantage,  need- 
ing only  the  precaution  of  supplying  them  with 
pure  sea- water  every  two  or  three  days  at  most, 
or  they  will  throw  off  their  skin  in  ragged  pieces, 
become  discoloured,  and  die.  They  are  capable  of 
very  long  fasts,  although,  as  I  observed  before,  vo- 
racious enough  when  food  is  to  be  obtained.  Dr. 
Johnston  tells  us  of  a  specimen  of  the  A.  (jemmacea 
once  brought  to  him,  "that  might  have  been  ori- 
ginally two  inches  in  diameter,  and  that  had  some- 
how contrived  to  swallow  a  valve  of  Pecten  maximus 
(the  great  Scallop)  of  the  size  of  an  ordinary  saucer. 
The  shell,  fixed  within  the  stomach,  was  so  placed 
as  to  divide  it  completely  into  two  halves,  so  that 
the  body,  stretched  tensely  over,  had  become  thin 
and  flattened  like  a  pancake.  All  communication 
between  the  inferior  portion  of  the  stomach  and 
the  mouth  was  of  course  prevented ;  yet,  instead 
of  emaciating,  and  dying  of  atrophy,  the  animal 
had  availed  itself  of  what  undoubtedly  had  been  a 
very  untoward  accident,  to  increase  its  enjoyments 
and  its  chances  of  double  fare.  A  new  mouth,  fur- 
nished with  two  rows  of  numerous  tentacula,  was 
opened  upon  what  had  been  the  base,  and  led  to 
the  under  stomach  :  the  individual  had  indeed  be- 
come a  sort  of  Siamese  twin,  but  with  greater  inti* 
macy  and  extent  in  its  unions  !"* 

Each  of  these  animal  flowers,  except  in  the  case 
of  such  accidental  monstrosities  as  the  one  just  men- 

*  Brit.  Zooph.  p.  224. 


1i  THE    OCEAN. 

tioned,  is  a  distinct  and  independent  animal;  but 
there  are  some  which,  while  they  possess  a  general 
similarity  in  structure  to  these,  exist  only  in  aggre- 
gated communities ;  many  individual  Polypes  being 
clustered  upon  a  somewhat  solid  body  called  a  Po- 
lypidom,  which  is,  when  alive,  clothed  with  a  fleshy 
coat,  believed  to  be  capable  of  communicating  and 
receiving  sensations  to  or  from  all  the  Polypes. 
The  teat-shaped  bodies,  familiarly  called  by  the 
fishermen  CowVpaps,  when  simple,  and  Dead-man's 
toes,  when  branched,  is  a  common  example ;  the 
Alcyonium  diyitatum  of  zoologists.  It  consists  of 
a  leathery  substance,  capable  of  contraction,  studded 
with  orifices,  whence  project  little  stars  with  eight 
rays,  which  are  the  expanded  tentacles  of  the  small 
Polypes  that  inhabit  the  hollows.  Those  beautiful 
productions,  the  Corals,  some  of  which  I  may  have 
occasion  to  notice  hereafter,  are  also  formed  on  the 
same  model.  They  have  generally  a  more  solid 
stem,  partaking  of  the  nature  of  stone,  and  branch 
out  in  imitation  of  shrubs.  The  stony  or  horny 
centre  is,  however,  clothed  with  gelatinous  flesh,  in 
which,  as  in  the  former  instance,  hollows  occur  at 
intervals,  occupied  by  minute  star-shaped  Polypes. 
The  warty  white  coral  (Gorgonia  verrucosa),  not 
uncommon  with  us,  is  of  this  structure,  .having  a 
stony  skeleton ;  but  in  the  beautiful  Sea-fan  (G. 
Jlabellum),  the  skeleton  shows  more  the  texture  of 
bone,  <»r  perhaps  of  horn;  it  is  black,  but  is  clothed 
with  flesh  of  a  yellow  colour,  or  sometimes  purple. 
From  the  ramifications  being  very  numerous,  and 
uniting  with   each   other  at  short   intervals,  like  the 


THE    SHORES    OF    BRITAIN. 


75 


meshes  of  a  net,  this  species  is  a  very  beautiful 
one.  Its  polypes,  as  in  the  other  instances,  have 
eight  tentacles.  This  is  exceedingly  rare,  though 
it  has  occurred  on  the  British  shores. 

But  more  singular  than  either  of  these  is  the 
form  of  Polypidom,  often  brought  up  by  fishermen 
attached  to  their  baits,  and  by  them  called  Cocks'- 
comb,  or  rather  more  appropriately,  Sea-pen  (Pen- 
natula  phosphorea) .      It    very   closely    resembles   a 


Sea-fan    (Gargonia  flabellum),   and    Sea-pen   (Pennatula  phosphorea). 


broad  feather  from  two  or  three  inches  in  length, 
and  of  a  purplish  colour.  The  lower  part  is  cy- 
lindrical, or  nearly  so,  and  represents  the  quill, 
and  the  tip  of  this  is  tinged  with  orange.  Above 
this  the  stem  is  fringed  on  each  side  with  very  re- 
gular, flat,  dentated  processes,  diminishing  gradually 


>j(j  THE    OCEAN. 

to  the  tip,  representing  the  vane.  Along  the  upper 
edge  of  each  of  these  pinna  are  placed  the  cells, 
inhabited  by  minute,  white,  eight-rayed  Polypes. 
The  stem  contains  a  long,  needle-shaped  bone,  very 
slender  at  each  extremity,  which  is  bent  backwards 
so  as  to  form  a  hook.  Some  authors  have  affirmed 
that  the  Sea-pen  swims  freely  in  the  sea  by  the 
waving  motion  of  its  pinnce ;  but  modern  observa- 
tions tend  to  throw  discredit  on  this  statement, 
which  in  itself  seems  improbable :  the  fishermen 
affirm  that  it  abides  with  its  stem  inserted  in  the 
mud  at  the  bottom ;  and  those  which  have  been 
kept  for  observation  have  remained  at  the  bottom 
of  the  vessel,  without  any  apparent  power  of  even 
turning  over  on  the  other  side.  This  species,  as 
its  scientific  name  imports,  is  one  of  the  many  ani- 
mals that  inhabit  the  sea,  which  are  endowed  with 
the  faculty  of  producing  light :  in  this  instance,  it 
appears  from  experiments  that  the  power  is  exerted 
as  a  means  of  defence,  as  only  when  injured  or  irri- 
tated does  the  animal  give  out  its  light,  which  is  of 
a  faint-bluish  cast.  Its  sudden  illumination  at  the 
bottom  of  the  sea  may  have  the  effect  of  terrifying 
some  of  its  enemies,  and  of  thus  protecting  it  from 
the  dangers  to  which  its  otherwise  helpless  frame 
would  be  exposed. 


THE    SHORES   OF  BRITAIN. 

CONTINUED. 

There  is  one  aspect  in  which,  if  we  view  the  sea, 
it  speaks  eloquently  the  beneficence  of  God  to  man ; 
namely,  as  the  source  from  whence  he  draws  an  inex- 
haustible supply  of  wholesome  and  nourishing  food. 
And  there  is  no  nation  more  favoured  in  this  respect 
than  Great  Britain :  the  seas  which  surround  us  are 
stocked  with  a  vast  variety  of  fishes,  the  great  ma- 
jority of  which  are  eatable.  Erom  the  form  of  our 
coasts,  there  is  always  at  some  part  access  to  the 
sea,  the  wind  which  locks  up  the  ports  of  one  coast 
leaving  others  free ;  the  numerous  bays,  harbours, 
and  inlets  offer  a  refusre  to  which  to  run  in  unfa- 
vourable  weather,  as  well  as  a  market  for  the  dis- 
posal of  the  produce  taken;  while  the  bold  and 
hardy  character  of  our  population  qualifies  them  to 
take  advantage  of  a  proffered  source  of  profit,  though 
not  unattended  with  risk.  Accordingly,  we  find 
that  the  fisheries  afford  to  this  country  a  revenue 
of  great  value ;  and  an  immense  quantity  of  cheap 
animal  food  is  produced  by  them,  the  importance  of 
which  can  hardly  be  overrated.  The  prosperity  of 
Holland  is  notoriously  founded  upon  the  zeal,  in- 
dustry, and  success  with  which  her  sons  have  prose- 
cuted the  herring-fishery  ;  a  fact  which  is  announced 

g  2  77 


78  THE    OCEAN. 

in  the  well-known  Dutch  saying,  "  The  city  of  Am- 
sterdam is  built  upon  herring-bones :"  and  though, 
from  the  superiority  of  our  internal  resources,  we 
are  not  compelled  to  give  so  undivided  an  atten- 
tion to  the  scaly  tenants  of  the  deep  as  they  have 
been,  we  may  still  assert,  that  on  a  similar  base  stand 
many  of  our  important  seaport  towns.  Let  us  then 
examine  these  finny  tribes,  which  come  so  strongly 
recommended  to  our  notice,  and  see  if  we  cannot  dis- 
cover in  their  formation  and  economy  evidences  of 
that  all-pervading  wisdom  and  goodness  of  which  we 
have  had  occasion  before  to  speak. 

An  intelligent  observer  can  scarcely  foil  to  be 
struck  with  the  perfect  adaptation  of  fishes  for  swift 
motion  through  a  dense  fluid.  The  form  most  suited 
for  rapid  progression  is  that  of  a  spindle,  swelling  in 
the  middle  and  tapering  to  the  extremities :  and  this 
is  the  general  form  of  fishes.  The  variations  from 
this  normal  shape  are  comparatively  rare,  and  con- 
sist chiefly  in  the  lengthening  of  the  body,  as  in  the 
Eels,  or  in  widening  its  diameter  perpendicularly,  as 
in  the  Flat-fishes,  or  horizontally,  as  in  the  Skates. 
But  in  these  cases,  and  similar  ones,  the  exceptions 
are  made  to  suit  variations  in  habits,  for  the  Skates 
and  Flat-fishes  arc,  intended  not  for  rapid  swimming, 
but  for  lying  flat  upon  the  bottom  ;  while  the  worm- 
like form  of  the  Eels  enables  them  to  insinuate  them- 
selves with  facility  through  the  mud  and  ooze,  or 
even  to  leave  the  water  and  crawl  upon  the  shore. 
Still,  however,  in  both  the  usual  form  is  to  be 
traced,  the  central  part,  of  the  body  being  the  widest 
and  the   extremities   being   pointed.     The  facility  of 


THE    SHORES    OF    BRITAIN.  fg 

motion  possessed   by  fishes  is  partly  dependent  on 
their   simplicity  of  figure,  the  absence  of  those  pro- 
minent limbs  which  project  from  the  bodies  of  most 
other    vertebrate     animals;    the    head,  without    any 
visible  neck,  merging  into  the  rounded  body,  which 
terminates  in  the  tail  in  an    almost  unbroken  out- 
line, for    the    fins  are  usually  so    slight  and  mem- 
branous in  their  texture  as  scarcely  to  diminish  this 
unity  of  form.     The   smooth  and   glittering  armour, 
in  which   these   animals  are  for    the  most    part  in- 
vested, tends    to    the    same    end.     Feathers    or   fur 
would   greatly  impede   progress  through  water;  and 
as  the  tribe  of  fishes  are  what  is  commonly  called 
cold-blooded,  or  of  nearly  the  same  temperature  as 
the  fluid  that  surrounds  them,  those  non-conductors 
of  heat  would  be  of  no  service,  the  animal  heat  ne- 
cessary for  existence  not  being  liable  to  be  abstracted. 
In    place    of   those    clothing    substances,    the    fish's 
body  is  encased  in  a  coat  of  mail  formed  of  many 
pieces  of  similar  shape,  of  a  transparent  horny  sub- 
stance, which  are  imbedded  in  the  skin  on  the   side 
next   the   head,  and    overlap    the    succeeding    ones 
at    the  posterior    edge,    like    the  tiles    of  a  house. 
It  is  obvious    how  beautifully  and    effectually  this 
formation  precludes   any  impediment  in   swimming, 
arising    from    the  free    edges  of  the  scales.     These 
are  so  closely  pressed  on  each  other,  that  the  water 
cannot    penetrate,    and    are    covered,    moreover,    in 
many   fishes  with  a    glutinous    slime,  which    water 
does  not  dissolve.     The  scales  of  fishes  afford  objects 
of  very  beautiful  structure  when  viewed  with  a  mi- 
croscope.    They    are  various    in    their  form ;    thosa 


80 


THE   OCEAN. 


from  different  parts  of  the  body  not  being  quite 
alike  even  in  the  same  fish.  They  are  not  per- 
fectly flat,  but  take  the  form  of  a  very  flattened 
cone,  of  which  the  apex  is  usually  a  little  behind  the 
middle.  Between  this  point  and  the  edge  there  is  a 
great  number  of  concentric  flutings,  too  fine,  as  well 
as  too  near  each  other,  to  be  readily  counted;  and  it 
is  presumed  that  each  of  these  lines  indicates  a  stage 
in  the  growth  of  the  scale;  that  the  scale  is  in- 
creased, perhaps  annually,  or  perhaps  oftener,  by  a 
deposit  of  horny  matter  on  the  surface  next  the  skin, 
each  of  which  deposits  exceeds  in  diameter  that 
which  preceded  it,  by  a  very  minute  amount  on  every 


Scales    of    Fishes. 


side.  The  concentric  lines  are  often  traversed  by 
other  lines,  diverging  with  great  regularity  from  the 
apex.  The  edges  are  sometimes  cut  into  points, 
scallops,  or  waves,  of  exquisite  symmetry;  the  sur- 
face is  often  variously  sculptured;  and  the  whole 
presents  a  specimen  of  the  most  elaborate  workman- 


THE    SHORES    OF    BRITAIN.  81 

ship,  worthy  of  the  Divine  hand  that  formed  it. 
The  scales  of  some  fishes  are  so  minute  as  to  be 
with  difficulty  distinguishable;  such  as  those  of  the 
Eel:  to  procure  these  for  microscopical  examination, 
"take  a  piece  of  the  skin  of  the  Eel  that  grows  on 
the  side,  and  while  it  is  moist  spread  it  on  a  piece 
of  glass,  that  it  may  dry  very  smooth ;  when  thus 
dried,  the  surface  will  appear  all  over  dimpled  or 
pitted  by  the  scales,  which  lie  under  a  sort  of  cuticle, 
or  thin  skin:  this  skin  may  be  raised  with  the  sharp 
point  of  a  penknife,  together  with  the  scales,  which 
will  then  easily  slip  out,  and  thus  you  may  procure 
as  many  as  you  please."* 

The  limbs  of  fishes  differ  greatly  in  appearance 
from  those  of  terrestrial  animals;  consisting,  as  to 
the  portion  external  to  the  body,  of  slender  spines, 
sometimes  cartilaginous  and  jointed,  at  others  bony 
and  simple,  united  by  means  of  a  thin  membrane 
stretched  from  one  to  the  other.  Generally  there 
are  two  pairs  on  the  under  part  of  the  body,  which 
are  called  the  pectoral  and  the  ventral  fins,  and  re- 
present respectively  the  fore  and  hind  legs  of  qua- 
drupeds, or  the  wings  and  feet  of  a  bird.  Besides 
these,  there  are  one  or  more  perpendicular  fins  along 
the  back,  called  the  dorsal,  and  one  below  the  body, 
near  the  tail,  called  the  anal ;  but  the  main  instru- 
ment of  motion  is  the  broad,  perpendicular  fin,  which 
terminates  the  body,  often  called  the  tail,  but,  more 
correctly,  the  caudal  or  tail  fin.  To  rightly  under- 
stand the  motions  of  a  fish,*ve  must  bear  in  mind 
that  it  is  immersed  in  a  fluid  which  is  of  little  less 

*  Martin's  Micrographia  Nova,  p.  29. 


82  THE    OCEAN. 

specific  gravity  than  its  own  body;  but  in  order  to 
regulate  its  own  weight,  it  is  provided  with  an  in- 
ternal bladder,  filled  with  air,  and  furnished  with 
muscles  for  its  compression  or  expansion:  by  the 
former  process  rendering  its  body  heavier,  and  by 
the  latter  lighter  than  the  water.  It  is  true  there  are 
many  fishes  which  are  destitute  of  the  air-bladder; 
but  these  are,  for  the  most  part,  ground  fishes,  which 
reside  habitually  upon  the  bottom,  rarely  swimming 
to  any  distance.  The  tail,  as  was  observed,  is  the 
grand  organ  of  progression;  and  most  of  the  muscles 
of  the  body  are  so  inserted  upon  the  joints  of  the 
spine  as  to  give  the  greatest  possible  energy  to  the 
motions  of  this  organ.  Its  expansion  is  vertical,  and 
its  motion  is  only  horizontal,  from  right  to  left:  so 
that,  striking  the  water  on  either  side  with  great  force, 
the  fish  shoots  rapidly  forward  in  the  direction  of 
the  line  of  the  body,  but  cannot,  by  its  means,  ascend 
or  descend.  The  direction  of  a  fish's  motion  is  go- 
verned by  the  pectoral  and  ventral  fins,  which  aid, 
likewise,  in  balancing  the  body,  and  obviate  the 
tendency  to  turn  belly  uppermost,  a  position  which 
a  dead  fish  assumes,  from  the  weight  of  the  muscular 
back  being  superior  to  that  of  the  hollow  and  air- 
filled  belly.  There  is  considerable  diversity  in  the 
depth  of  water  which  different  species  of  fishes  habit- 
ually inhabit;  and  this  depends,  in  a  great  measure,  on 
the  position  of  the  ventral  fins.  Such  as  mainly  reside 
at  or  near  the  surface^have  them  so  placed  that  the 
centre  of  the  body  shall  fall  nearly  midway  between 
them  and  the  pectorals.  Those  whose  habits  lead 
them  to  range  to  great  distances  without  any  material 


THE    SHORES    OF    BRITAIN.  83 

change  in  their  depth  of  water,  have  the  ventral  fins 
placed  far  back  on  the  belly,  as  the  Herring  and  the 
Salmon  ;  while  those  which  feed  at  the  bottom  in  deep 
water,  but  yet  have  considerable  power  of  swimming, 
such  as  the  Cod,  require  the  ventrals  to  be  situated 
near  the  head,  sometimes  even  in  advance  of  the  pec- 
torals, in  order  to  act  with  rapidity  and  effect  upon 
the  fore  part  of  the  body,  which  is  usually  heavy  in 
such  fishes.  The  Flat-fishes  and  Skates,  in  which  the 
ventrals  are  little  developed,  and  the  Eels,  in  which 
they  are  wanting,  rarely  quit  the  ground,  but  grovel 
on  the  mud  in  shallow  water.  Many  fishes  have  cer- 
tain spines  of  the  fins  developed  into  stiff  and  for- 
midable weapons,  and  others  have  equally  effective 
armour  placed  upon  the  gill-covers,  the  sides  of  the 
body  or  the  tail.  With  these,  which  are  usually 
jointed,  and  which  the  fish  has  the  power  of  erecting 
stiffly,  and  of  directing  with  considerable  precision,  it 
sometimes  inflicts  severe  wounds  on  the  incautious 
fisherman,  as  well  as  on  its  opponent,  in  the  battles 
with  its  own  kind,  which  often  occur.  The  little 
Stickleback  (Gasterosteus),  which  abounds  all  round 
the  coast,  as  well  as  in  our  fresh  waters,  is  armed 
with  sharp  spines  on  the  back  and  sides,  which  it 
wields  like  a  perfect  tyrant.  "  vVhen  a  few  are  first 
turned  into  a  tub  of  water,  thejr  swim  about  in  a 
shoal,  apparently  exploring  their  new  habitation. 
Suddenly  one  will  take  possession  of  a  particular 
corner  of  the  tub,  or,  as  it  will  sometimes  happen,  of 
the  bottom/and  will  instantly  commence  an  attack 
upon  his  companions ;  and  if  any  one  of  them  ven- 
tures to  oppose  his  sway,  a  regular  and  most  furious 


84  THE   OCEAN. 

battle  ensues;  the  two  combatants  swim  round  and 
round  each  other  with  the  greatest  rapidity,  biting, 
and  endeavouring  to  pierce  each  other  with  their 
spines,  which  on  these  occasions  are  projected.  I 
have  witnessed  a  battle  of  this  sort  which  lasted 
several  minutes  before  either  would  give  way;  and 
when  one  does  submit,  imagination  can  hardly  con- 
ceive the  vindictive  fury  of  the  conqueror;  who,  in 
the  most  persevering  and  unrelenting  way,  chases  his 
rival  from  one  part  of  the  tub  to  another,  until  fairly 
exhausted  with  fatigue.  They  also  use  their  spines 
with  such  fatal  effect,  that,  incredible  as  it  may  ap- 
pear, I  have  seen  one  during  a  battle  absolutely  rip 
his  opponent  quite  open,  so  that  he  sank  to  the  bot- 
tom, and  died.  I  have  occasionally  known  three  or 
four  parts  of  the  tub  taken  possession  of  by  as  many 
other  little  tyrants,  who  guard  their  territories  with 
the  strictest  vigilance,  and  the  slightest  invasion  in- 
variably brings  on  a  battle."*  The  Sting-rays  {Try- 
gon),  which  are  furnished  with  a  hard- and  sharp  spine 
with  toothed  edges,  near  the  base  of  the  tail,  are  ac- 
customed to  twist  their  long  and  flexible  tail  around 
their  enemy,  while  they  inflict  severe  wounds  with 
the  barbed  spine.  The  Common  Skates  (Baia),  on 
the  other  hand,  which  have  the  tail  studded  with 
rows  of  curved  horny  thorns,  when  irritated,  are  said 
to  bend  the  body  nearly  into  a  circle,  and  to  dash 
about  the  armed  tail  with  violence  in  all  directions. 

The  goodness  of  God  is  manifest  in  the  gregarious 
habits  of  most  of  those  fishes  which  constitute  an  im- 
portant article  of  human  food,  in   the   innumerable 

*  Mag.  Nat,  Hist.  iii.  329. 


THE    SHORES    OF    BRITAIN.  85 

individuals  of  which  the  shoals  are  composed,  and 
in  the  fecundity  by  which  the  populousness  of  these 
shoals  are  maintained.  Nine  millions  of  eggs  have 
been  ascertained  to  exist  in  the  roe  of  a  single  Cod, 
and  the  hosts  of  this,  and  other  species,  which  during 
the  fishing-season  crowd  our  shores,  are  utterly  be- 
yond human  calculation.  These  swarms  were  for- 
merly believed  to  perform  vast  annual  migrations  in 
military  order  from  the  Polar  regions  in  spring,  and 
back  again  to  t^eir  homes  "  beneath  the  ice"  in  the 
autumn.  The  groundlessness,  and  even  absurdity  of 
this  notion  has  been  shown,  and  it  is  now  generally 
known,  that  the  fishes  are  at  no  part  of  the  year 
more  than  a  few  miles  distant  from  the  coast,  but 
that  on  the  approach  of  warm  weather  an  unerring 
instinct  teaches  them,  as  by  common  impulse,  to 
seek  the  shallows  near  the  shore,  in  order  to  deposit 
their  spawn  within  the  vivifying  influence  of  the 
summer  sun.  This  grand  business  of  life  being  ac- 
complished, they  again  retire,  not  to  the  Arctic  ice, 
but  to  the  deep  water  of  the  offing,  where  they  may 
again  rove  in  freedom  and  conscious  security.  And 
this  is  an  admirable  ordination  of  Divine  Provi- 
dence, that  these  tribes  are  thus  periodically  brought 
withm  the  reach  of  man  precisely  at  the  season 
when  they  are  in  the  highest  condition,  and  there- 
fore most  wholesome,  as  well  as  most  agreeable. 
For  they  come  from  the  deep  water  fat,  and  in 
full  health  and  vigour ;  but  after  having  spawned 
they  return  sickly  and  poor,  to  recruit  their  ex- 
hausted strength. 

The    Herring    family    (Chqxadce),    including    tha 


86  THE    OCEAN. 

common  Herring,  the  Pilchard,  the  Sprat,  the  Shad, 
&c,  are  the  most  important  objects  of  our  fisheries, 
and  particularly  the  first-named  two  species. 

The  fishery  for  the  Pilchard  is  carried  on  almost 
exclusively  in  the  counties  of  Cornwall  and  Devon ; 
the  Herring  is  more  generally  diffused,  but  the 
greatest  numbers  taken  are  on  the  shores  of  Scot- 
land and  the  adjacent  islands.  Some  idea  of  the 
commercial  importance  of  these  two  animals  may  be 
formed  from  the  facts,  that  between  three  and  four 
hundred  thousand  barrels  of  Herrings  are  sometimes 
cured  in  a  single  year  in  Great  Britain  alone,  besides 
all  that  are  sold  while  fresh ;  and  that  ten  thousand 
hogsheads  of  Pilchards  have  been  taken  on  shore 
in  one  port  in  a  single  day,  "  thus  providing,"  says 
Mr.  Yarrell,  "  the  enormous  multitude  of  twenty-five 
millions  of  living  creatures  drawn  at  once  from  the 
ocean  for  human  sustenance."  The  shoals  of  Herrings 
are  occasionally  known  to  approach  the  shore  with  so 
headlong  an  impetuosity  as  to  be  unable  to  regain 
deep  water,  and  are  stranded  upon  the  beach  in  im- 
mense numbers.  Mr.  Mudie  has  described  sueh  an 
incident.  "The  rocky  promontory  at  the  east  end 
of  the  county  of  Fife,  oft*  which  there  lies  an  exten- 
sive reef  or  rock,  sometimes  has  that  effect,  and  there 
have  been  seas  [seasons?]  in  which,  when  the  diHicul- 
ties  of  the  place  were  augmented  by  a  strong  wind  at 
south-east,  that  carried  breakers  upon  the  reef,  and  a 
heavy  surf  along  the  shore,  the  beach  for  many  miles 
has  been  covered  with  a  bank  of  Herrings  several 
fret  in  depth,  which,  if  taken  and  salted  when  first 
left    by    the    tide,    would    have    been    worth    many 


THE    SHORES    OF    BRITAIN.  gf 

thousands  of  pounds,  but  which,  as  there  was  not  a 
sufficient  supply  of  salt  in  the  neighbourhood,  were 
allowed  to  remain  putrefying  on  the  beach  until  the 
farmers  found  leisure  to  cart  them  away  as  manure. 
One  of  these  strandings  took  place  in  and  around  the 
harbour  of  the  small  town  of  Crail  only  a  few  years 
ago.  The  water  appeared  at  first  so  full  of  Herrings 
that  half  a  dozen  could  be  taken  by  one  dip  of  a 
basket.  Numbers  of  people  thronged  to  the  water's 
edge,  and  fished  with  great  success ;  and  the  public 
crier  was  sent  through  the  town  to  proclaim  that 
"caller  herrin,"  that  is,  Herrings  fresh  out  of  the  sea, 
might  be  had  at  the  rate  of  forty  a  penny.  As  the 
water  rose  the  fish  accumulated,  till  numbers  were 
stunned,  and  the  rising  tide  was  bordered  with  fish, 
with  which  baskets  could  be  filled  in  an  instant.  The 
crier  was,  upon  this,  instructed  to  alter  his  note,  and 
the  people  were  invited  to  repair  to  the  shore,  and 
get  Herrings  at  one  shilling  a  cart-load.  But  every 
successive  wave  of  the  flood  added  to  the  mass  of 
fish,  and  brought  it  nearer  to  the  land,  which  caused 
a  fresh  invitation  to  whoever  might  be  inclined  to 
come  and  take  what  Herrings  they  chose  gratis.  The 
fish  still  continued  to  accumulate  till  the  height  of 
the  flood,  and  when  the  water  began  to  ebb,  they 
remained  on  the  beach.  It  was  rather  early  in  the 
season,  so  that  warm  weather  might  be  expected ; 
and  the  effluvia  of  many  putrid  fish  might  occasion 
disease;  therefore  the  corporation  offered  a  reward 
of  one  shilling  to  every  one  who  would  remove  a  full 
cart-load  of  Herrings  from  that  part  of  the  shore 
which  was  under  their  jurisdiction.     The  fish  being 


88  THE   OCEAN. 

immediately  from  the  deep  water,  were  in  the  highest 
condition,  and  barely  dead.  All  the  salt  from  the 
town  and  neighbourhood  was  instantly  put  in  requi- 
sition, but  it  did  not  suffice  for  the  thousandth  part 
of  the  mass,  a  great  proportion  of  which,  notwith- 
standing some  not  very  successful  attempts  to  carry 
off  a  few  sloop-loads  in  bulk,  was  lost."* 

The  Herring  appears  on  our  shores  in  the  middle 
of  summer,  but  seems  to  approach  the  coast  of  Scot- 
land earlier ;  for  in  Sutherland  the  fishery  commences 
in  June,  and  in  Cromarty  even  so  early  as  May, 
while  the  Yarmouth  season  rarely  begins  till  Septem- 
ber. They  are  taken  chiefly  by  means  of  drift-nets, 
and  by  far  the  majority  are  cured  :  in  the  first  part 
of  the  season,  however,  they  are  often  so  rich  as  to  be 
unfit  for  salting,  and  these  are  sold  for  consumption 
while  fresh.  About  the  month  of  November  the 
shoals  spawn,  and  are  then  unfit  for  eating,  and  the 
fishery  ceases.  As  is  universally  known,  there  are 
two  modes  of  curing  this  fish,  producing  what  are 
called  white  and  red  herrings.  The  former  requiring 
only  to  be  placed  in  barrels  with  salt,  the  process  can 
be  performed  in  the  fishing-craft ;  consequently  the 
vessels  for  this  fishery  are  larger,  being  qualified  to 
keep  the  sea.  Red  herrings,  however,  require  a 
much  more  elaborate  process,  which  cannot  be  per- 
formed on  board,  and  the  procuring  of  them  is  essen- 
tially a  shore  fishery.  The  Yarmouth  men  confine 
themselves  to  this  branch.  They  sprinkle  the  fish 
with  salt,  and  lay  them  in  a  heap  on  a  stone  or  brick 
floor,  where  they  remain  about  six  days ;   they  are 

*  Lint.  Naturalist. 


THE    SHORES    OF    BRITAIN. 


89 


Yarmouth  Jetty,  in  the  Herring  Fishery. 


then  washed,  and  spitted  one  by  one  on  long  wooden 
rods,  which  pass  through  the  gills ;  great  care  is  re- 
quired that  they  may  not  touch  each  other  as  they 
hang;  the  rods  are  then  suspended  on  ledges,  tier 
above  tier,  from  the  top  of  the  house  to  within  eight 
feet  of  the  ground;  a  fire  is  then  kindled  and  fed 
with  green  wood,  chiefly  oak  or  beach,  and  main- 
tained with  occasional  intermissions,  for  about  three 
weeks,  or,  if  the  fish  are  intended  for  exportation,  a 
month ;  the  fire  is  then  extinguished,  and  the  house 
allowed  to  cool,  and  in  a  few  days  the  herrings  are 

barrelled. 

2a 


90  THE   OCEAN. 

Next  in  importance  to  the  members  of  the  above 
valuable  family  is  the  Mackerel,  the  most  elegantly 
beautiful  of  the  finny  tribes  that  throng  our  shores. 
It  is  in  season  earlier  than  the  Herring,  usually 
appearing  in  spring,  and  the  fishery  is  prosecuted  in 
May  and  June,  as  in  the  latter  month  it  spawns.  It 
occurs  in  most  abundance  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
kingdom,  the  coasts  of  Kent  and  Sussex  being  the 
chief  stations  of  the  fishery.  The  Mackerel  is  taken 
principally  by  nets,  which  are  so  set  as  to  arrest 
the  fish  while  roving  about  during  the  night ;  many, 
however,  are  taken  by  means  of  the  hook,  the  fa- 
vourite bait  being  a  strip  of  flesh  cut  from  the  tail  of 
a  fresh  Mackerel,  or,  in  default  thereof,  a  bit  of  red 
cloth :  the  fish  bite  most  readily  when  the  boat  is 
sailing  rapidly  before  the  wind.  The  value  of  this 
fish  depends,  in  a  more  than  common  degree,  on  its 
freshness ;  and  hence  it  is  important  that  no  time  be 
lost  in  conveying  it  to  market.  Fast-sailing  boats 
are  therefore  kept  in  readiness  to  convey  the  cargoes 
to  London  as  soon  as  caught,  which  usually  find  it 
advantageous  to  secure  the  aid  of  steam  in  ascending 
the  river,  as  the  loss  of  a  single  tide  may  diminish 
the  value  of  the  cargo  one  half,  or  even  render  it 
utterly  unsaleable.  During  the  season,  not  less  than 
one  hundred  thousand  are  thus  brought  to  Billings- 
gate per  week. 

The  preceding  species,  coming  in  swarming  shoals 
into  the  shallow  waters,  are  usually  taken  by  nets; 
but  the  Cod,  another  very  valuable  fish  having  dif- 
ferent habits,  is  taken  singly,  by  hook  and  line.  It 
does   not  appear  that   the   Cod    is  gregarious  from 


THE    SHORES    0¥    BRITAIN. 


91 


Mackerel-boat  off  Hastings. 


choice;  or  in  any  other  sense  than  that  of  many 
individuals  independently  actuated  by  a  similar  mo- 
tive, flocking  to  any  place  where  food  is  plentiful. 
The  Cod  rarely  comes  into  the  shallows;  but  haunts 
the  deep  water,  feeding  at  the  rocky  bottom,  on 
marine  worms,  Crustacea,  and  shelled  mollusca.  It 
is  a  voracious  fish.  Mr.  Crouch  records  having  taken 
thirty-five  crabs,  none  of  them  less  than  a  half-crown 
piece,  from  the  stomach  of  a  single  Cod:  his  greedi- 
ness is  often  his  own  destruction  and  the  fisher- 
man's advantage,  for  it  induces  him  readily  to  seize 
the  bait.  It  is  most  abundant  on  the  north  and 
west  coasts  of  Scotland,  but  is  taken  in  consider- 
able  plenty  all  round  the  coasts  of  our  island.     In 


92  THE    OCEAN. 

some  of  the  Hebrides  there  are  large  pools  for  the 
preservation  of  sea-fishes,  hollowed  out  of  the  solid 
rock,  and  communicating  with  the  sea  by  narrow 
clefts  at  high  tide.  Great  numbers  of  Cod-fishes 
are  kept  in  these  vivaria,  and  are  fed  with  various 
garbage,  or  the  bodies  of  other  fishes.  The  stock 
is  replenished  by  casting  in  such  individuals  as  are 
but  slightly  injured  by  the  hook  in  fishing,  while 
small  ones,  or  such  as  are  lacerated,  are  thrown  into 
the  same  receptacle,  as  food  for  their  more  fortunate 
brethren.  There  are  two  modes  of  capturing  the 
Cod  with  the  hook :  the  one  is  with  what  are  called 
in  Cornwall  bulters,  which  are  long  lines,  to  which 
are  attached,  at  regular  distances,  other  lines  six  feet 
in  length,  each  bearing  a  hook;  the  intervals  are 
twice  the  length  of  the  small  lines,  to  prevent  their 
intertwining;  these  are  shot  across  the  course  of  the 
tide.  The  other  mode  is  by  hand-lines,  of  which 
each  fisherman  holds  two,  one  in  each  hand,  and 
each  line  bears  two  hooks  at  its  extremity,  which 
are  kept  apart  by  a  stout  wire  going  from  one  to  the 
other.  A  heavy  leaden  weight  is  attached  near 
the  hooks,  and  thus  the  fisherman  feels  when  his 
bait  is  oft'  the  ground.  He  continually  jerks  them 
up  and  down,  and  is  thus  aware  of  a  fish  the  moment 
it  is  secured.  Although  this  seems  a  somewhat 
tedious  process  of  fishing  compared  with  the  im- 
mense draughts  of  the  net,  it  is  found  in  skilful 
hands  to  be  productive:  eight  men  on  the  Dogger- 
bank  have  taken  eighty  score  of  Cod  in  a  day.  It 
is  a  heavy  fish :  Pennant  records  one  which  weighed 
781bs.,  but  this  was  a   giant;    it    was  sold   at   Scar- 


THE    SHORES    OF    BRITAIN.  93 

borough  for  one  shilling !  The  fish  are  brought  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Thames  in  stout  cutters,  furnished 
with  wells,  in  which  they  remain  alive;  hence  they 
are  sent  up  in  portions  to  Billingsgate  by  the  night 
tide.  The  cutters  lie  at  Gravesend ;  for  if  they 
were  to  advance  any  higher  up  the  river,  the  ad- 
mixture of  fresh  water  would  kill  the  fish  in  the 
wells.  The  liver  of  the  Cod  is  not  the  least  va- 
luable part  of  its  body,  because  it  melts  almost 
entirely  away  into  a  clear  oil,  much  used  in  manu- 
factures. 

There  is  a  family  of  fishes  familiar  to  us,  which 
are  worthy  of  a  moment's  notice,  not  only  on  ac- 
count of  their  importance  as  objects  of  commercial 
speculation,  but  for  their  singular  and  unparalleled 
deviation  from  the  ordinary  structure.  These  are 
the  Flat-fishes  (Pleuronectidce),  comprising  the  Tur- 
bot,  Plaice,  Sole,  and  some  others.  Their  form  is 
very  deep,  but  at  the  same  time  very  thin,  and  they 
are  not  constituted  to  swim  as  other  fishes  do,  with 
the  back  uppermost,  but  lying  upon  one  side.  They 
reside  wholly  upon  the  bottom,  shuffling  along  by 
waving  their  flattened  bodies,  fringed  with  the  dorsal 
and  anal  fins;  and  as  thev  are  somewhat  slue'gish  in 
their  movements,  they  need  concealment  from  ene- 
mies. This  is  afforded  to  them  by  the  side  which 
is  uppermost  being  of  a  dusky-brown  hue,  undis- 
tinguishable  from  the  mud  on  which  they  rest ;  and 
so  conscious  are  they  where  their  safety  lies,  that 
when  alarmed,  they  do  not  seek  to  escape  by  flight, 
like  other  fishes,  but  sink  down  close  to  the  bottom, 
and   lie   perfectly    motionless.     Even   the    practised 


94 


THE    OCEAN. 


eye  of  the  turbot-fisher,  with  his  powers  sharpened 
by  interest,  fails  to  detect  a  fish  when  thus  con- 
cealed ;  and  he  is  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  another 
sense,  tracing  lines  upon  the  mud  with  an  iron- 
pointed  pole,  that  the  touch  may  discover  the  latent 
fish.  In  the  structure  of  the  head,  again,  there  is 
a  peculiar  and  very   remarkable  provision  for  the 


TURBOT-BOAT    OFF    SCARBOROUGH. 


wants  of  the  creature.  If  the  eyes  were  placed  as 
in  all  other  animals,  one  on  each  side  of  the  head, 
it  is  plain  that  the  Flat-fishes,  habitually  grovelling 
in  the  manner  described,  would  he  deprived  of  the 
sight  of  one  eye,  which  being  always  buried  in  the 
mud,  would  be,  quite  useless.  To  meet  this  diffi- 
culty, the  spine  is  distorted,  taking,  near  the  head, 
a  sudden   twist  to  one  side ;  and  thus  the  two  eyes 


THE    SHORES    OF    BRITAIN.  95 

are  placed  on  the  side  which  is  kept  uppermost, 
where  both  are  available.  The  inferior  side  of  a 
Flat-fish  is  always  white.  The  Turbot  is  the  most 
highly  esteemed  of  this  family,  and  perhaps  of  all 
our  fishes,  the  flesh  being  of  very  delicate  flavour. 
The  Sole  is  also  a  valuable  fish.  Both  of  these  spe- 
cies are  taken  chiefly  by  trawl-nets,  but  the  former 
is  also  caught  with  the  hook. 

The  Crustaceous  and  Testaceous  classes  afford 
employment  to  a  considerable  number  of  our  po- 
pulation, and  demand  our  brief  attention.  Of  the 
former,  the  chief  species  selected  for  food  in  this 
country  are,  the  Crab,  the  Lobster,  the  Prawn,  and 
the  Shrimp.  Both  our  salt  and  fresh  waters,  how- 
ever, contain  multitudes  of  other  species,  some  of 
which  are  exceedingly  curious  in  structure  and  form. 
The  Omstacea,  like  insects,  have  no  internal  skeleton ; 
but  instead  of  it,  are  encased  in  a  jointed  framework, 
resembling  the  plate  armour  of  our  forefathers,  of 
a  texture  between  shell  and  bone.  The  muscles 
which  move  the  body  are  attached  to  the  interior 
of  this  crust,  as  our  muscles  are  attached  to  the 
bones.  The  body  consists  mainly  of  two  parts; 
the  fore-division  contains  the  head  and  chest,  co- 
vered with  a  large  single  plate,  and  the  hinder,  the 
belly  covered  with  several  smaller  plates,  joined  by 
a  tough  skin,  and  lapping  over  each  other.  As  this 
shelly  covering  is  possessed  by  the  animal  from  its 
very  birth,  it  is  natural  to  inquire  how  it  can  pos- 
sibly increase  in  size,  seeing  it  is  enclosed  in  an 
unyielding  prison.  In  the  Tortoises,  which  are 
somewhat   similarly   encased,    the    difficulty   is    met 


gg  THE    OCEAN. 

by  a  periodica]  addition  to  the  interior  surface  of 
every  plate  a  little  wider  in  diameter  than  the  one 
before,  thus  enlarging  the  capacity  of  the  aggre- 
gated plates,  together  with  the  enlargement  of  each 
plate;  and  this,  as  I  have  already  observed,  is  the, 
mode  by  which  the  scales  of  a  fish  grow.  But  from 
the  shape  and  size  of  the  plates  on  a  Crab  or  a 
Lobster,  and  especially  of  the  great  one  that  en- 
velops the  chest,  this  mode  of  growth  would  not 
answer  the  purpose.  Another  contrivance  is  re- 
sorted to,  of  a  character  perfectly  unique ;  one  of 
those  contrivances  that  meet  us  at  every  turn  in 
the  study  of  Nature,  and  that  make  it  so  interest- 
ing and  instructive,  as  manifesting  the  infinite  re- 
sources of  .the  Mighty  God.  When  the  Crustacean 
finds  that  from  its  increasing  size  it  is  bound  and 
pressed  by  its  shelly  covering,  it  retires  to  some 
hole  or  cranny  for  protection,  becomes  sickly,  and 
refuses  to  eat.  After  pining  awhile,  the  softer 
parts  separate  from  the  inside  of  the  crust,  even 
the  muscles  becoming  detached  from  the  skeleton, 
and  take  up  a  much  smaller  bulk  than  before:  a 
thick  skin  forms  over  this  soft  body,  replacing  the 
crust,  and  then  the  great  shield  of  the  chest  is 
thrown  off  unbroken,  and  the  other  plates  of  the 
body  follow.  This  seems  plain:  but  it  is  not  so 
easy  to  understand  how  the  process  is  completed. 
Every  one  who  has  looked  at  a  Crab's  claw,  knows 
that  in  a  healthy  animal  it  is  filled  with  flesh,  that 
the  inside  is  capacious,  but  thai  the  joints  are  very 
small  :  now,  how  is  the  animal  to  get  its  flesh  freed 
from  this  capacious  boot?     One  would  readily  say, 


THE    SHORES    OF   BRITAIN.  97 

by  splitting  it  into  two  portions;  but  on  examining 
the  cast-off  claws,  which  are  frequently  met  with, 
no  split  or  separation  can  be  discovered.  The  ques- 
tion is  not  yet  satisfactorily  solved;  but  I  believe 
that  through  the  wasting  away  of  the  limbs  from 
sickness  and  fasting,  they  become  so  diminished  in 
size  as  to  be  drawn  even  through  the  narrow  ori- 
fices of  the  joints.  Every  part  of  the  old  shell 
being  thus  thrown  off,  antennae,  eyes,  jaws,  and 
all,  the  animal  fills  its  body  with  water,  dilating 
all  the  parts  to  a  size  much  exceeding  that  of  the 
old  shell,  which  the  new  skin,  yet  soft  and  flexible, 
readily  permits.  It  is  necessary  that  this  inflation 
of  the  body  should  take  place  when  newly  freed, 
because  the  skin  immediately  begins  to  grow  rigid, 
by  lime  being  deposited  in.  its  substance  secreted 
within  the  body,  and  rapidly  takes  the  texture  and 
consistence  of  the  shell  just  rejected.  The  appetite 
now  returns,  and  abundance  of  food  soon  restores 
the  enlarged  animal  to  its  wonted  vigour. 

The  Crabs,  of  which  there  are  many  species,  have 
the  shield  of  the  chest  very  large  and  flat,  and  usually 
wider  than  long :  the  plates  of  the  belly  are  small, 
and  folded  under  the  body  out  of  sight.  The  great 
pincers  or  claws  have  considerable  muscular  power, 
and  are  covered,  especially  at  the  extremities,  with 
a  shell  of  almost  stony  hardness.  The  Crab  wields 
these  formidable  weapons  with  much  dexterity,  and 
if  he  obtains  a  grasp,  holds  his  opponent  with  perse- 
vering tenacity,  so  that  he  is  not  to  be  despised  in 
single  combat,  Mr,  Mudie  tells  an  amusing  anec- 
dote  illustrative   of  this   habit.     "We   remember," 


98  THE    OCEAN. 

Bays  he,  "  an  instance  in  which,  but  for  timely  assist- 
ance, the  corporation  of  a  royal  borough  would  have 
been  deprived  of  its  head,  through  the  retentive 
clutching  of  a  Crab.  The  borough  alluded  to  is 
situated  on  a  rocky  part  of  the  coast,  where  shell-fish 
are  so  very  abundant  that  they  are  hardly  regarded 
for  any  other  purpose  than  as  bait  for  the  white 
fishery.  The  official  personage  was  a  man  of  leisure; 
and  one  favourite  way  of  filling  up  that  leisure  was 
the  capture  of  Crabs,  which,  after  much  care,  he  had 
learned  to  do  by  catching  them  in  the  holes  of  the 
rocks,  so  adroitly,  as  to  avoid  their  formidable  pin- 
cers. One  day  he  had  stretched  himself  on  the  top 
of  a  rock,  and  thrusting  his  arm  into  a  crevice  below, 
got  hold  of  a  very  large  Crab;  so  large,  indeed,  that 
he  was  unable  to  get  it  out  in  the  position  in  which 
it  had  been  taken.  Shifting  his  position  in  order  to 
accommodate  the  posture  of  his  prey  to  the  size  of 
the  aperture,  he  slipped  his  hold  of  the  Crab,  which 
immediately  made  reprisals  by  catching  him  by  the 
thumb,  and  squeezing  with  so  much  violence,  that 
he  roared  aloud.  But  though  there  be  a  vulgar  opi- 
nion, of  course  an  unfounded  one,  that  Lobsters  are 
apt  to  cast  their  claws,  through  fear,  at  the  sound  of 
thunder  or  of  great  guns,  the  thundering  and  shout- 
ing of  the  corporation  man  had  no  such  effect  upon 
the  Crab,  lie  would  gladly  have  left  it  to  enjoy  its 
hole;  but  it  would  not  quit  him,  but  held  him  as 
firmly  as  if  he  had  been  in  a  vice ;  and  though  he 
rattled  it  against  the  rocks  with  all  the  power  that 
he  could  exert,  which,  pinched  as  he  was  by  the 
thumb  was  not  great ;  yet  he  was  unable  to  get  out 


THE    SHORES   OF   BRITAIN.  99 

of  its  clutches.  But,  'tide  waits  for  no  man,'  even 
though  his  thumb  should  be  in  a  Crab's  claw ;  and  so 
the  flood  returned,  until  the  greater  part  of  the  arm 
was  in  water,  and  the  ripple  even  beginning  to 
mount  to  the  top  of  the  rock,  which,  as  the  tides 
were  high  at  that  particular  time,  was  speedily  to 
be  at  least  a  fathom  under  water ;  and  destruction 
seemed  inevitable.  A  townsman  who  had  been  fol- 
lowing the  same  fishery  with  an  iron  hook  at  the  end 
of  a  stick,  fortunately  came  in  sight;  and  by  intro- 
ducing that,  and  detaching  the  other  pincer  of  the 
Crab,  which  is  one  of  the  common  means  of  making 
it  let  go  its  hold,  he  restored  the  official  personage 
to  land  and  life."* 

The  fisherman,  however,  prefers  another  mode  of 
taking  Crabs,  than  by  seeking  them  in  their  rocky 
retreats.  He  uses  pots  made  of  wicker-work,  with 
an  opening  in  the  top,  made  by  the  ends  of  the  rods, 
bent  inwards,  and  converging  towards  a  point ;  their 
elasticity  allowing  a  Crab  to  enter  readily  enough, 
but  causing  them  to  spring  back  to  their  first  posi- 
tion when  he  is  in,  presenting  only  their  converged 
points  when  he  wishes  to  escape ;  the  entrance  being 
in  the  top  of  the  pot,  moreover,  he  cannot  well  get 
at  it  when  once  inside.  Some  decaying  animal  mat- 
ter is  put  in  by  way  of  bait,  which  is  an  unfailing 
temptation  to  the  Crab's  palate,  and  the  pot  is  sunk 
in  deep  water  by  means  of  a  heavy  stone.  A  line 
attached  to  a  float  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  marks 
the  situation  of  each  pot,  and  prevents  mistakes  as  to 
property. 

*  Brit.  Naturalist,  i.  279. 


100 


THE   OCEAN. 


CKAB-l'OTS. 


The  Lobster  is  caught  in  the  same  manner  as 
the  Crab,  and  both  are  in  great  demand  for  the 
delicacy  of  their  flesh.  A  very  large  proportion  of 
those  eaten  in  England  are  brought  from  Norway. 
At  first  there  does  not  seem  much  in  common  in  the 
f<»rm  of  these  two  animals,  except  that  both  are  fur- 
nished with  pincers;  but  on  examination,  Ave  shall 
find  that  both  are  constructed  on  the  same  model. 
The  shield  of  the  chest,  which  was  broad  and  flat  in 
the  Crab,  is  long  and  arched  in  the  Lobster;  and  the 
belly,  which  was  thin,  small,  and  folded  out  of  sight, 
Tinder  the  body,  is  in  the  latter  much  larger,  and 
though  bent,  may  be  extended,  and  is  terminated  by 
fringed    horny    plates    like    a    fin;    the  antenna-,    01 


THE    SHORES    OF    BRITAIN.  -[Q\ 

horn-like  processes  of  the  head,  are  very  long.  Thus 
we  perceive,  and  there  are  many  other  examples 
which  might  be  adduced,  that  it  has  pleased  God 
to  vary  the  forms  of  created  beings,  not  by  making 
each  on  a  separate  and  independent  plan,  but  by 
creating  certain  forms,  which  are  viewed  as  types  or 
models,  and  varying  the  parts,  common  to  many  spe- 
cies, in  detail.  The  one  mode  would  have  been  as 
easy  as  the  other;  there  can  be  no  gradations  of  faci- 
lity in  creation  to  Omnipotence;  but  doubtless  He 
had  wise  ends  in  view  in  thus  proceeding,  though  we 
may  fail,  from  ignorance,  in  discerning  them.  Pro- 
bably one  reason  may  have  been  the  formation  of 
one  harmonious  whole  out  of  the  multitude  of  living 
creatures,  which  could  not  have  been  formed  had 
every  one  been  essentially  different  from  all  others. 
But,  as  it  is,  we  see  that  deviations  in  structure  and 
form  are  gradual,  that  one  species  varies  but  little 
from  a  certain  type,  another  varies  a  little  more,  and 
so  on;  thus  connecting  each  with  each  in  a  most 
beautiful  order,  something  like  the  manner  in  which 
the  links  of  a  chain  hang  from  each  other,  or  perhaps 
still  more,  like  an  immense  number  of  circles,  so 
arranged  as  to  touch  other  circles  in  many  parts  of 
their  circumference.  Goldsmith  flippantly  asserts, 
that  the  Shrimp  and  the  Prawn  "  seem  to  be  the 
first  attempts  which  Nature  made  when  she  medi- 
tated the  formation  of  the  Lobster."  Such  expres- 
sions as  these,  however,  are  no  less  unphilosophical 
than  they  are  derogatory  to  God's  honour;  these 
animals  being  in  an  equal  degree  perfect  in  their 
kind,  equally  formed  by  consummate  wisdom,  inca- 

i  2 


102 


THE    OCEAN. 


pable  of  improvement,  each  filling  its  own  peculiar 
place  in  its  own  circle,  which  the  others  could  not 
fill. 


The  Shrimp  and  Prawn,  like  the  Lobster,  have  the 
extremity  of  the  body  furnished  with  broad  overlap- 
ping plates,  strongly  fringed,  which,  expanding  in 
the  shape  of  a  fan,  constitute  a  powerful  fin.  The 
body,  a  little  behind  the  middle,  has  a  remarkable 
bend  downwards,  though  it  may  be  brought  nearly 
Straight  Their  motion  when  swimming  is  very 
swift,  and  in  a  backward  direction,  and  is  performed 
by  striking  tlie  water  lbreibly  with  the  tail-fin,  the 


THE  SHORES  OF  BRITAIN.  103 

body  being  in  a  bent  position.  The  Lobster  is  said 
to  project  itself  thus,  by  a  single  impulse,  upwards 
of  thirty  feet,  and  to  dart  through  the  water  with 
the  fieetness  of  a  bird  upon  the  wing.  The  Shrimp 
frequents  the  shallows,  and  congregates  in  numerous 
shoals,  which  leap  from  the  surface,  as  I  have  often 
seen.  The  capture  of  them  is  often  left  to  the 
children  of  the  fishermen,  who,  wading  in  the  shoal 
water,  with  a  net  fixed  at  the  end  of  a  pole,  take 
them  with  much  ease. 

Under  the  appellation  of  Shell-^sA  are  familiarly 
included  animals  having  little  connection  with  each 
other,  and  still  less  with  fishes.  The  Fish,  the  Crab, 
and  the  Oyster  belong,  in  fact,  to  three  of  the  grand 
sections  into  which  the  animal  kingdom  is  distri- 
buted ;  and  though  the  last  two  agree  in  being  in- 
vested with  what  is,  in  common  parlance,  called  "a 
shell,"  yet  the  crust  of  the  one  bears  no  analogy  in 
form,  structure,  or  composition  to  the  shell  of  the 
other.  Again:  those  animals  which,  like  the  Oyster, 
are  covered  with  true  calcareous  shells,  differ  greatly 
from  each  other:  some,  as  the  Periwinkle  and  the 
Whelk,  being  animals  of  much  higher  grade  in  the 
scale  of  development  than  others,  as  the  Oyster  or 
Scallop.  The  former  crawl  with  ease  on  a  broad 
fleshy  disk,  as  we  have  all  seen  in  the  case  of  the 
garden  Snail,  an  animal  closely  allied  to  them;  they 
have  a  distinct  head,  with  tentacles,  jaws,  and  often 
with  eyes;  but  the  latter  have  no  power  of  crawling, 
being,  for  the  most  part,  confined  to  one  spot,  no 
head,  no  eyes,  no  tentacles,  and  no  jaws,  but  are 
shut  up  within  their  two  shells,  which  can  be  opened 


104  THE   OCEAN. 

only  to  a  small  extent  during  the  life  of  the  animal. 
Yet  we  must  not  for  a  moment  suppose  that  these 
creatures  are  unhappy,  or  that  the  meanest  occupant 
even  of  a  bivalve  shell  is  not  supplied  with  every- 
thing that  could  conduce  to  its  welfare.  It  is  SIN 
alone  that  is  the  source  of  unhappiness.  I  will  just 
point  out  one  or  two  particulars  in  which  the  Divine 
care  for  these  creatures  is  manifest.  All  of  them 
have  the  vital  parts  of  the  body  protected  by  a  thick 
fleshy  coat,  somewhat  projecting  at  the  edges,  called 
the  mantle :  the  surface  of  this  organ  has  the  power 
of  forming  the  shell,  by  depositing  stony  matter  in 
a  sort  of  glutinous  cement,  which  soon  hardens  into 
a  thin  layer  of  shell.  If  a  little  piece  were  broken  oflf 
the  edge  of  the  shell  of  a  Whelk,  when  alive,  the 
animal  would  press  the  surface  of  the  mantle  against 
the  fracture,  and  pass  it  several  times  over  the  place ; 
a  very  thin  transparent  film  would  th,en  be  seen  to 
fill  up  the  space,  which  in  the  same  way  it  would 
increase  in  thickness,  until  in  a  few  days  we  could 
scarcely  distinguish  the  renewed  part  from  the 
other,  or  tell  that  the  shell  had  been  broken,  except, 
perhaps,  by  a  slight  variation  in  colour.  As  the  ani- 
mal grows,  it  wants  a  larger  shell;  and  the  mantle 
affords  the  means  of  increasing  its  size :  the  front 
edge  of  this  organ  is  thicker  than  the  rest,  and  is 
called  the  collar;  and  it  is  by  thrusting  this  round 
the  edge  of  the  shell,  while  stony  matter  is  poured 
out  from  its  surface,  that  an  addition  is  made  to  it. 
In  the  Bivalves,  or  those  whose  shells  open  and  shut 
like  the  covers  of  a  book,  as  the  Oyster,  the  mantle 
is  twofold,  covering  the  body  on  each  side,  just  within 


THE   SHORES   OF   BRITAIN.  105 

each  shell.  Instead  of  a  collar,  each  leaf  of  the  mantle 
is  here  fringed  with  a  series  of  delicate  fleshy  threads, 
which  secrete  the  exterior  part  of  the  shell,  by  being 
thrust  out  round  the  edge ;  while  the  whole  surface 
of  the  mantle  deposits  the  beautiful,  rainbow-tinted, 
pearly  substance  with  which  the  interior  is  coated. 

Instead  of  the  fleshy  belly  on  which  the  Univalves 
glide  along,  the  Bivalves  are  furnished  with  a  pecu- 
liar organ,  which  in  some  species  serves  the  purpose 
of  motion.  The  Oyster,  however,  and  some  other 
species,  have  no  power  of  changing  their  position, 
but  are,  as  it  were,  cemented  to  the  rock  on  which 
the  spawn  first  chanced  to  fall.  The  Mussel,  again, 
is  fastened,  but  in  a  different  manner,  being  moored 
by  a  cable  of  silken  threads,  which  it  spins  from  its 
own  body.  But  the  Cockle,  which  is  eaten  by  the 
poor  on  many  of  our  shores,  is  enabled  to  move  with 
considerable  rapidity  by  means  of  the  organ  to  which 
I  have  just  alluded.  It  is  somewhat  like  a  tongue, 
and  can  assume  a  great  variety  of  shapes.  The 
Cockle  burrows  in  the  mud :  having  lengthened  and 
stiffened  its  tongue  or  foot,  it  pushes  it  as  far  as  it 
can  reach  into  the  mud ;  then  bending  the  tip  into  a 
hook,  it  forcibly  contracts  it,  and  thus  brings  its 
body,  shell  and  all,  into  the  hole.  The  Razor-shell, 
a  shell  common  on  sandy  beaches,  of  a  long  narrow 
form,  has  this  power  still  more  remarkably  deve- 
loped. 

Many  of  the  islands  which  stud  the  sea  around  the 
north  and  west  coasts  of  Scotland  are  remarkable  for 
the  stern  grandeur  of  their  precipitous  cliffs.  One 
might  almost  imagine  that  the  surges  of  the  mighty 


106  THE    OCEAN. 

Atlantic,  dashing  against  them  for  ages  with  un- 
broken fury,  had  undermined  their  solid  foundations, 
and  worn  for  themselves  numerous  passages,  leaving 
only  columnar  rocks  of  vast  height,  detatched  from 
one  another,  though  of  similar  formation  and  con- 
struction. Such  a  rock  is  the  Holm  of  Noss,  appa- 
rently severed  from  the  Isle  of  Noss,  from  which  it 
is  about  a  hundred  feet  distant;  but  the  cliffs  are 
of  stupendous  height,  and  far  below,  in  the  narrow 
gorge,  the  raging  sea  boils  and  foams,  so  that  the 
beholder  can  scarcely  look  downward  without  horror. 
But  stern  necessity  impels  men  to  enterprises,  from 
which  the  boldest  would  otherwise  shrink  :  to  obtain 
a  scanty  supply  of  coarse  food  for  himself  and  family, 
the  hardy  inhabitant  of  the  Orkneys  dares  even  the 
terrors  of  the  Holm  of  Noss.  In  a  small  boat,  with 
a  companion  or  two,  he  seeks  the  base  of  the  cliff; 
and  leaving  them  below,  he  fearlessly  climbs  the  pre- 
cipice, and  gains  the  summit.  A  thin  stratum  of 
earth  is  found  on  the  top,  into  which  he  drives  some 
strong  stakes ;  and  having  descended  and  performed 
the  same  operation  on  the  opposite  cliff,  he  stretches 
a  rope  from  one  to  the  other,  and  tightly  fastens  it. 
On  this  rope  a  sort  of  basket,  called  a  cradle,  is 
made  to  traverse,  and  the  adventurous  islander  now 
commits  himself  to  the  frail  car,  and  suspended 
between  sea  and  sky,  hauls  himself  backward  and 
forward  by  means  of  a  line.  And  do  you  ask  what 
prize  can  tempt  man  to  incur  such  fearful  hazard, 
lavish  of  his  life  ?  It  is  the  eggs  and  young  of  a  sea- 
bird,  the  fishy  taste  and  oily  smell  of  Avhose  flesh 
would  present  little  gratification  to  any  whose  senses 


THE    SHORES    OF    BRITAIN.  lO? 

were  not  made  obtuse  by  necessity.  The  Gannets 
and  Guillemots  dwell  in  countless  myriads  on  these 
naked  rocks,  laying  their  eggs  and  rearing  their 
progeny  wherever  the  surface  presents  a  ledge  suf- 
ficiently broad  to  hold  them.  Their  immense 
numbers  render  them  an  object  of  importance  to 
the  inhabitants  of  these  barren  islands,  who  derive 
from  them,  either  in  a  fresh  state  or  salted  and  dried, 
a  considerable  portion  of  their  sustenance. 

In  some  other  situations  the  fowlers  have  recourse 
to  a  still  more  hazardous  mode  of  procedure.  The 
cliffs  are  sometimes  twelve  hundred  feet  in  height, 
and  fearfully  overhanging.  If  it  is  determined  to 
proceed  from  above,  the  adventurer  prepares  a  rope, 
made  either  of  straw  or  of  hog's  bristles,  because 
these  materials  are  less  liable  to  be  cut  through  by 
the  sharp  edge  of  the  rock.  Having  fastened  the 
end  of  the  rope  round  his  body,  he  is  lowered  down 
by  a  few  comrades  at  the  top  to  the  depth  of  five  or 
six  hundred  feet.  He  carries  a  large  bag  affixed  to 
his  waist,  and  a  pole  in  his  hand,  and  wears  on  his 
head  a  thick  cap,  as  a  protection  against  the  frag- 
ments of  rock  which  the  friction  of  the  rope  per- 
petually loosens ;  large  masses,  however,  occasionally 
fall  and  dash  him  to  pieces. 

Having  arrived  at  the  region  of  birds,  he  pro- 
ceeds with  the  utmost  coolness  and  address;  plac- 
ing his  feet  against  a  ledge,  he  will  occasionally 
dart  many  fathoms  into  the  air,  to  obtain  a  better 
view  of  the  crannies  in  which  the  birds  are  nest- 
ling, take  in  all  the  details  at  a  glance,  and  again 
shoot  into   their  haunts.     He  takes  only  the  eggs 


108 


THE    OCEAN. 


and  young,  the  old  birds  being  too  tough,  to  be 
eaten.  Caverns  often  occur  in  the  perpendicular 
face  of  the  rock,  which  are  favourite  resorts  of  the 
fowls;  but  the  only  access  to  such  situations  is  by 
disengaging  himself  from  the  rope,  and  either  hold- 
ing the  end  in  his  hand,  while  he  collects  his  booty, 
or   fastening  it   round    some   projecting    corner.     I 


Fowling  in  Orkney. 


have  heard  of  an  individual,  who,  either  from  choico 
or  necessity,  was  accustomed  to  go  alone  on  these 
expeditions;  supplying  the  want  of  confederates 
above  by  firmly   planting  a  stout  iron  bar  in  the 


THE    SHORES   OF   BRITAIN.  ]09 

earth,  from  which  he  lowered  himself.  One  day, 
having  found  such  a  cavern  as  I  have  mentioned,  he 
imprudently  disengaged  the  rope  from  his  body,  and 
entered  the  cave  with  the  end  of  it  in  his  hand.  In 
the  eagerness  of  collecting,  however,  he  slipped  his 
hold  of  the  rope,  which  immediately  swung  out 
several  yards  beyond  his  reach.  The  poor  man  was 
struck  with  horror ;  no  soul  was  within  hearing,  nor 
was  it  possible  to  make  his  voice  heard  in  such  a 
position ;  the  edge  of  the  cliff  so  projected  that 
he  never  could  be  seen  from  the  top,  even  if  any 
one  were  to  look  for  him;  death  seemed  inevitable, 
and  he  felt  the  hopelessness  of  his  situation.  He 
remained  many  hours  in  a  state  bordering  on  stupe- 
faction; at  length  he  resolved  to  make  one  effort, 
which,  if  unsuccessful,  must  be  fatal.  Having  com- 
mended himself  to  God,  he  rushed  to  the  margin 
of  the  cave  and  sprang  into  the  air,  providentially 
succeeded  in  grasping  the  pendulous  rope,  and  was 
saved. 

Sometimes  it  is  thought  preferable  to  make  the 
attempt  from  below :  in  this  case,  several  approach 
the  base  in  a  boat;  and  the  most  dexterous,  bearing 
a  line  attached  to  his  body,  essays  to  climb,  assisted 
by  his  comrades,  who  push  him  from  below  with 
a  pole.  When  he  has  gained  a  place  where  he  can 
stand  firmly,  he  draws  up  another  with  his  rope, 
and  then  another,  until  all  are  up,  except  one  left 
to  manage  the  boat.  They  then  proceed  in  exactly 
the  same  manner  to  grain  a  hisrher  staore,  the  first 
climbing  and  then  drawing  up  the  others :  and  thus 
they  ascend  till  they  arrive  at  the  level  of  the  birds, 

K 


110 


THE   OCEAN. 


when  they  collect  and  throw  down  their  booty  to  the 
boat.  Sometimes  the  party  remains  several  days  on 
the  expedition,  sleeping  in  the  crannies  and  caverns. 
This  mode  is  attended  with  peculiar  hazard  ;  for  as 
a  man  often  hangs  suspended  merely  from  the  hands 
of  a  single  comrade,"  it  occasionally  happens  that  the 
latter  cannot  sustain  his  weight,  and  thus  lets  him 
fall,  or  is  himself  drawn  over  the  rock,  and  shares  in 
his  companion's  miserable  death. 


The  object  of  these  daring  adventures,  which  bring 
to  mind  the  words  of  Shakspcare, 


Ilnlf  way  down 


Hangs  one  that  gathers  samphire — dreadful  trade  '" 

Is  chiefly  the  Guillemot  (Una  Troth),  a  bird  some- 


THE    SHORES   OF    BRITAIN. 


Ill 


what  like  the  Penguin,  but  with  a  pointed  beak. 
The  Gannet  (/Sulci  Bassana)  is  of  the  Pelican  tribe, 
and  is  confined,  at  least  in  large  congregations,  to 
one  or  two  localities:  of  which  the  principal  are  the 
Bass  Rock  on  the  east   coast  of  Scotland,   and  Sfc 


The  Bass  Rock. 


Kilda,  the  most  western  of  the  Hebrides.  On  these 
rocky  isles  they  assemble  in  such  countless  hosts 
that  they  can  only  be  compared  to  a  swarm  of  bees, 
or  to  a  shower  of  snow,  the  air  being  filled  with 
them.     The  inhabitants  of  the  latter   isle   are   said 


112  THE    OCEAN. 

to  consume  twenty-two  thousand  of  the  young  birds 
every  year,  besides  eggs.  They  are  powerful  birds 
upon  the  wing,  and  pursue  with  much  eagerness  the 
shoals  of  herrings  and  pilchards,  on  which  they 
pounce  with  the  perpendicular  descent  of  a  stone. 
Buchanan  conjectures  that  the  Gannets  destroy 
more  than  one  hundred  millions  of  herrings  an- 
nually. In  flying  over  Penzance  some  years  since, 
a  Gannet's  attention  was  arrested  by  a  fish  lying  on 
a  board.  According  to  custom,  down  he  swooped 
on  the  prey ;  but  his  imprudence  cost  him  his  life ; 
and  it  was  found  that  from  the  impetus  of  his  de- 
scent, the  bill  had  quite  transfixed  the  board,  though 
an  inch  and  a  quarter  in  thickness.  The  fishermen 
take  advantage  of  this  habit,  to  allure  the  bird  to 
its  destruction;  for  they  fix  a  fresh  herring  to  a 
board,  and  draw  it  after  a  sailing  boat  with  some 
rapidity  through  the  waves;  by  which  many  are 
killed  in  the  manner  just  narrated.  The  apparatus 
by  which  this  bird  is  furnished  for  its  aerial  powers, 
as  well  as  for  aiding  its  arrowy  descent,  is  very  beau- 
tiful and  instructive.  Professor  Owen,  by  inserting 
a  tube  into  the  windpipe,  was  enabled  to  inflate  the 
whole  body  with  air,  and  found  that  air-cells  com- 
municating with  each  other,  pervaded  every  part, 
separating  even  the  muscles  from  each  other,  and 
isolating  the  very  vessels  and  nerves ;  and  penetrat- 
ing the  bones  of  the  wing.  A  large  air-cell  was 
found  to  be  placed  in  front  of  the  forked-bone,  or 
clavicles,  which  was  furnished  with  muscles,  whose 
action  was  instantaneously  to  expel  the  air,  and  thus 
in  a  moment  to  deprive  the  bird  of  that  buoyancy, 


THE    SHORES    OF   BRITAIN.  ,H3 

so  necessary  for  its  flight,  but  equally  detrimental  to 
its  swoop. 

Iu  some  interesting  observations,  by  Colonel  Mon- 
tagu, on  the  habits  of  this  bird  in  captivity,  the  same 
fact  is  noticed.  When  the  bird  was  placed  on  the 
water  of  a  pond,  nothing  could  induce  him  to  at- 
tempt to  dive,  and  from  the  manner  of  his  putting 
the  bill,  and  sometimes  the  whole  head,  under  water, 
as  if  searching  for  fish,  it  appears  that  the  prey 
is  frequently  so  taken.  It  is  probable  more  fish  are 
caught  in  their  congregated  migrations,  when  the 
shoals  are  near  the  surface,  than  by  their  descent 
upon  wing;  for  the  herrings,  pilchards,  mackerel, 
and  other  gregarious  fishes,  cannot  at  that  time  avoid 
their  enemy,  who  is  floating  iu  the  midst  of  profu- 
sion. In  the  act  of  respiration  there  appears  to  be 
always  some  air  propelled  between  the  skin  and  the 
body  of  this  bird,  as  a  visible  expansion  and  contrac- 
tion is  observed  about  the  breast ;  and  this  singular 
conformation  makes  the  bird  so  buoyant  that  it  floats 
high  on  the  water,  and  does  not  sink  beneath  the 
surface,  as  observed  in  the  cormorant  and  shag.  The 
legs  are  not  placed  so  far  behind  as  in  such  of  the 
feathered  tribe  as  procure  their  subsistence  by  im- 
mersion; the  Gannet,  consequently,  has  the  centre 
of  gravity  placed  more  forward;  and  when  standing, 
the  body  is  nearly  horizontal,  like  a  goose,  and  not 
erect  like  a  cormorant. 

The    Gannet    collects    a  slight    heap  of  withered 

grass  and  dry  sea- weeds,  on  which  it  lays  and  hatches 

its    eggs.     They  perform    this    duty    by    turns,  one 

foraging  while    the    other    sits.     The    roamer,  after 
s  *2 


114  TJ1E    OCEAN. 

a  predatory  excursion,  returns  to  his  partner,  with 
five  or  six  herrings  in  his  gorge ;  these  she  very 
complacently  pulls  out  one  by  one,  with  much  ad- 
dress. Marten  says  that  they  frequently  rob  each 
other,  and  that  one  which  had  pillaged  a  nest,  artfully 
flew  out  towards  the  sea  with  the  spoil,  and  returned 
again,  as  if  it  had  gathered  the  stuff  from  a  different 
quarter.  The  owner,  though  at  a  distance  from  his 
nest,  had  observed  the  robbery,  and  waited  the  re- 
turn of  the  thief,  which  he  attacked  with  the  utmost 
fury.  "This  bloody  battle,"  adds  the  narrator, 
"  was  fought  above  our  heads,  and  proved  fatal  to 
the  thief,  who  fell  dead  so  near  our  boat,  that  our 
men  took  him  up,  and  presently  dressed  and  ate 
him." 


THE   ARCTIC   SEAS. 


Perhaps  in  few  respects  is  the  character  of  mo- 
dern times  contrasted  with  that  of  antiquity  in  a 
higher  degree,  than  in  that  enterprising  spirit  which 
prompts  men  to  penetrate  distant  regions,  submit- 
ting to  unheard-of  privations,  and  braving  new  diffi- 
culties and  dangers,  not  only  from  the  stimulus  of 
expected  gain,  but  often  from  the  mere  love  of 
knowledge,  a  desire  of  gratifying  that  insatiable  and 
laudable  curiosity,  in  which  all  science  has  its  origin. 
The  ancient  nations,  bold  and  intelligent  as  they 
were,  knew  little  of  geographical  research :  pre- 
cluded from  venturing  to  the  north  by  the  dread  of 
frost,  and  to  the  south  by  the  scorching  heat  of  the 
sun,  both  of  which  their  fears  so  magnified  that  they 
deemed  it  physically  impossible  for  man  to  exist  in 
either  the  one  or  the  other ;  their  expeditions,  in 
peace  and  war,  seem  to  have  been  well-nigh  bounded 
by  the  temperate  zone.  Thus  it  happened,  that  up 
to  the  fifteenth  century  hardly  a  fourth  of  the  habit- 
able globe  was  known  to  the  polished  nations  of 
Europe.  But  then  a  new  era  commenced :  the  dis- 
covery of  one  important  law,  that  the  magnetized 
needle  points  always  northward,  gave  a  precision  to 
navigation,  and  inspired  a  degree  of  confidence  in. 
the  mariner,  which  soon  led  to  highly  interesting 
and   unexpected  results.     The  torrid  zone  was  tra- 

(115) 

f 


116  THE   OCEAN. 

versed;  that  terrible  "Cape  of  Storms,"*  the  south 
era  point  of  Africa,  was  doubled ;  a  new  world  wa& 
discovered  in  the  western  hemisphere;  and  commer- 
cial enteprise  led  the  hardy  sons  of  western  Europe 
to  dare  even  the  icy  horrors  of  the  Poles.  Of  these 
the  Biscayans  seem  to  have  been  the  first,  for  wc 
find  them  engaged  in  the  northern  whale  fishery  as 
early  as  the  year  1575.  Before  the  end  of  the  six- 
teenth century,  the  English  had  engaged  in  the  same 
enterprise,  fishing  first  on  the  coast  of  North  Ame- 
rica, and  after  a  while  in  the  vicinity  of  Spitzbergen. 
The  Dutch  soon  followed,  and  other  nations  were  not 
slow  in  prosecuting  the  same  lucrative  employment. 
Nature  in  these  regions  wears  an  aspect  of  awful 
majesty  and  grandeur,  unrelieved  by  the  softer  and 
gentler  beauties  which  distinguish  her  in  the  south. 
In  the  islands  of  these  seas  no  meadows  smile 
in  emerald  verdure,  no  waving  corn-fields  gladden 
the  heart  of  man  with  their  golden  undulations ; 
no  songs  of  jocund  birds  usher  in  the  morning, 
nor  is  the  evening  soothed  with  the  indefinable 
murmur  of  myriads  of  humming  insects.  All  is 
dreary  solitude;  and  the  death-like  silence  that 
pervades  the  scene,  inspires  a  feeling  of  involun- 
tary awe,  as  if  the  hardy  explorer  had  intruded 
into  a  region  where  he  ought  not  to  be.  The 
most  northern  land  known  to  exist  is  that  of  the 
islands  of  Spitzbergen,  the  extreme  point  of  whieh 
approaches  to  within  ten  degrees  of  the  Pole.     The 

*  This  was  the  name  given  to  the  extreme  point  of  Africa  by  its  dis- 
cqvorer,  Bartholomew  Diaz:  but,  on  his  return  to  Portugal,  King  John 
J  I.  considered  the  discovery  so  auspioious,  that  lie  changed  the  name  to 
"The  Cape  of  Good  Hope,"  which  it  still  retains. 


THE    ARCTIC    SEAS.  H? 

coast  is  generally  lofty  and  precipitous,  and  is  visible 
in  clear  weather  at  a  great  distance,  presenting  the 
peculiar  features  of  Arctic  scenery  in  great  perfec- 
tion. The  rocks  rise  in  bold  and  naked  grandeur, 
their  summits  shooting  into  innumerable  peaks  and 
ridges,  and  needles,  of  fantastic  forms,  reminding 
the  beholder  of  the  domes  and  spires  of  a  vast  city. 
Most  of  these  are  of  dark  colours,  standing  out  in 
bold  relief  against  the  sky ;  but  their  appearance  is 
rendered  highly  picturesque  by  the  vivid  contrasts 
continually  presented  by  the  broad  patches  of  un- 
sullied snow  capping  their  summits,  or  resting  on 
the  ledges  and  terraces  into  which  their  surface  is 
broken,  as  well  as  by  the  glistening  accumulations 
of  ice,  which  fill  the  valleys  nearly  to  the  level  of 
the  mountain  tops.  In  approaching  the  coast  in 
summer,  the  view  is  often  concealed  by  the  dense 
fogs  so  prevalent  in  that  season :  suddenly  the  mist 
disperses,  and  these  broad  contrasts,  shown  out  in 
startling  distinctness  beneath  a  cloudless  sun,  seem 
like  the  sudden  creation  of  a  magician's  wand.  The 
well-defined  outline,  and  sharp  edge  of  the  hues 
of  the  picturesque  scenery,  render  it  perfectly  dis- 
tinct at  a  distance  at  which,  in  a  more  southern 
clime,  land  would  present  but  a  dim  and  shadowy 
haze.  The  objects  described  may  often  be  clearly 
seen  and  well  distinguished  at  the  distance  of  forty 
miles ;  and  if,  after  sailing  towards  the  land  for  four 
or  five  hours  before  a  smart  breeze,  the  atmosphere 
should  become  slightly  charged  with  mist,  the  scene 
might  be  apparently  even  more  distant  than  at  first. 
Thus  a  phenomenon,  reported  by  one  of  the  earlier 


118  THE    OCEAN. 

Danish  navigators,  which  caused  no  little  astonish- 
ment, may  be  readily  accounted  for.  He  had  made 
the  eastern  coast  of  Greenland,  and  had  been  sailing 
towards  it  for  many  hours  with  a  fair  wind ;  but  see- 
ing that  the  land  seemed  to  be  no  nearer,  he  became 
alarmed,  and  immediately  shifted  his  course  back  to 
Denmark,  attributing  the  failure  of  his  voyage  to 
the  influence  of  loadstone  rocks,  hidden  beneath  the 
sea,  which  arrested  the  progress  of  his  vessel. 

The  peculiar  stratification  of  the  rocks  in  these 
regio.is  often  causes  them  to  assume  a  walled  or  cas- 
tellated appearance,  the  angles  being  as  sharp  and 
clean  as  if  cut  with  a  mason's  tool.  Some  of  their 
forms  resemble  so  strongly  the  works  of  art,  that  one 
can  scarcely  believe  them  to  be  freaks  of  nature.  A 
magnificent  instance  of  such  regularity  occurs  on  the 
coast  of  Spitzbergen.  Near  the  head  of  King's  Ba}', 
there  are  seen,  far  inland,  three  piles  of  rock  of 
regular  shape,  well  known  to  the  whalers  by  the  ap- 
pellation of  the  Three  Crowns.  "  They  rest  on  the 
top  of  the  ordinary  mountains,  each  commencing 
with  a  square  table,  or  horizontal  stratum  of  rock, 
on  the  top  of  which  is  another,  of  similar  form  and 
height,  but  of  a  smaller  area;  this  is  continued  by 
a  third,  and  a  fourth,  and  so  on,  each  succeeding 
stratum  being  less  than  the  next  below  it,  until  it 
forms  a  pyramid  of  steps,  almost  as  regular  to  ap- 
pearance as  if  worked  by  art."'* 

The  most  prominent  object  in  these  dreary  seas  is 
ice.  Even  on  the  land,  a  large  portion  of  the  ground 
is  concealed  by  perpetually-accumulating  i<v,  while 
the  same  substance  covers  to  a  great  extent  the  sur- 

*  Scoresby. 


THE    ARCTIC    SEAS.  119 

face  of  the  ocean.  There  is  scarcely  a  more  beauti- 
ful object  than  one  of  the  towering  icebergs  that  so 
abound  in  these  regions,  and  that  annually  come 
down  upon  the  southern  current,  into  the  temper- 
ate zone.  I  have  seen  numbers  of  these  floating 
islands,  of  dazzling  whiteness,  on  the  coast  of  New- 
foundland, whither  they  are  brought  every  spring 
out  of  Baffin's  Bay.  They  do  not  long  endure  their 
transition,  but  soon  melt  away  in  the  warm  waters  of 
the  Atlantic,  though  they  are  sometimes  seen  on  the 
coast  of  the  United  States,  as  far  down  as  Phila- 
delphia. In  watching  some  small  ice-islands,  which, 
having  drifted  into  the  ports  of  Newfoundland,  have 
grounded  in  shoal  water,  I  have  been  surprised  to 
observe  how  very  rapid  is  their  dissolution,  even  in 
the  month  of  April.  Some  large  ones,  however,  are 
frequently  seen  in  the  bays  of  that  country,  even  in 
July.  They  are  often  of  vast  dimensions :  one  seen 
by  Ross,  in  Baffin's  Bay,  was  estimated  to  be  nearly 
two  miles  and  a  half  long,  two  miles  wide,  and  fifty 
feet  high.  Of  course  this  estimate  respects  only  that 
part  which  is  visible  above  the  surface  of  the  water ; 
but  this  is  a  very  small  portion  of  its  actual  bulk. 
The  relative  proportion  of  the  part  which  is  exposed 
to  that  which  is  submerged,  varies  according  to  the 
character  of  the  ice :  in  Newfoundland  the  part 
under  water  is  usually  considered  to  be  ten  times 
greater  than  that  exposed,  but  if  the  ice  be  porous, 
it  is  not  more  than  eight  times  greater ;  while,  on  the 
other  hand,  Phipps  found  that  of  dense  ice,  fourteen 
parts  out  of  fifteen  sunk.  These  floating  icebergs 
are  various  in  form ;  sometimes  rising  into  pointed 


120 


THE    OCEAN. 


spires,  like  steeples;  sometimes  taking  the  form  of  a 
conical  hill;  sometimes  that  of  an  overhanging  cliff, 
of  most  threatening  brow.    I  have  seen  some  resemble 


HSSffiMfl 


Iceberg  seen  in  Baffin's  Bay. 

the  form  of  a  couching  lion ;  but,  perhaps,  the  most 
ordinary  form  is  that  of  an  irregular  mass,  higher  at 
one  end  than  at  the  other.  In  the  Arctic  seas  they 
often  present  sharp  edges  and  spiry  points ;  but  in 
their  progress  southward,  the  gradual  influence  of 
climate  smooths  their  unevenness,  and  gives  their 
surface  a  rounded  outline.  The  action  of  the  waves 
on  the  portion  beneath  the  surface,  undermining  the 
sides  and  wearing  away  the  projections,  continually 
alters  the  position  of  the  centre  of  gravity;  and 
sometimes  the  effect  of  this  is  to  cause  the  whole 
gigantic  mass  to  roll  over  with  a  thundering  crash, 
making  the  sea  to  boil  into  foam,  and  causing  a  swell 


THE    ARCTIC   SEAS. 


121 


that  is  perceptible  for  miles.  When  a  boat  or  even  a 
ship  is  in  immediate  proximity  to  an  iceberg  in  such 
circumstances,  the  danger  is  imminent ;  but  if  viewed 


Swell  among  Ice. 


from  a  secure  distance,  the  sight  is  a  very  interesting 
one.  The  first  iceberg  I  ever  saw,  and  one  of  large 
size,  thus  rolled  about  one-third  over  while  I  beheld 
it,  entirely  altering  its  apparent  form.  Sometimes 
the  effect  of  the  wave's  action  is  to  cause  a  large 
fragment  to  fall  off,  or  a  crack  will  extend  through 
the  whole  mass  with  a  deafening  report,  or  the  entire 
iceberg  will  fall  to  pieces,  and  strew  the  ocean  with 
the  fragments,  like  the  remnants  of  a  wreck.  Late 
in  the  siimmer  they  often  become  very  brittle,  and 
then  a  slight  violence  is  sufficient  to  rupture  them. 
Seamen  avail  themselves  of  the  shelter  afforded  by 


122 


THE   OCEAN. 


ice- islands  to  moor  the  ship  to  them  in  storms,  carry- 
ing an  anchor  upon  the  ice,  and  inserting  the  fluke 
in  a  hole  made  for  the  purpose.  In  the  state  just 
alluded  to,  such  is  the  brittleness  of  the  substance, 
that  one  blow  with  an  axe  is  sometimes  sufficient  to 
cause  the  immense  mass  to  rend  asunder  with  fearful 
noise,  one  part  falling  one  way,  and  another  in  the 
opposite,  often  swallowing  up  the  ill-fated  mariner, 
and  crushing  the  gallant  bark. 


Ship  bkskt  in  Ice. 


Contact  with    floating    icebergs,  when    a    ship  is 
under  sail,  is  highly  dangerous.     From  the  coolness 


THE   ARCTIC    SEAS.  123 

of  the  air  in  their  immediate  neighbourhood,  the 
moisture  of  the  atmosphere  is  condensed  around 
them;  and  hence  they  are  often  enveloped  in  fogs, 
so  as  to  be  invisible  within  the  length  of  a  few 
fathoms.  A  momentary  relaxation  of  vigilance  on 
the  part  of  the  mariner,  may  bring  the  ship's  bows 
on  the  submerged  part  of  an  iceberg,  whose  sharp 
needle-like  points,  hard  as  rock,  instantly  pierce  the 
planking,  and  perhaps  open  a  fatal  leak.  Many 
lamentable  shipwrecks  have  resulted  from  this  cause. 
In  the  long  heavy  swell,  so  common  in  the  open  sea, 
the  peril  of  floating  ice  is  greatly  increased,  as  the 
huge  angular  masses  are  rolled  and  ground  against 
each  other  with  a  force  that  nothing  can  resist. 

These  ice-islands  are  quite  distinct  in  their  nature 
from  the  field-ice,  which  so  largely  overspreads  the 
surface  of  the  sea,  and  are  believed  to  be  entirely  of 
land  formation,  consisting  of  fresh  water  frozen. 
The  process  of  their  formation  is  interesting:  the 
glens  and  valleys  in  the  islands  of  Spitzbergen  are 
filled  up  with  solid  ice,  which  has  been  accumulating 
for  uncounted  ages;  these  are  the  sources  from 
whence  the  floating  icebergs  are  supplied.  Perhaps 
as  Ions;  aa-o  as  the  creation  of  man,  or  at  least  as  the 
deluge,  these  glaciers  began  in  the  snows  of  winter ; 
the  summer  sun  melted  the  surface  of  this  snow,  and 
the  water  thus  produced,  sinking  down  into  that 
which  remained,  saturated  it  and  increased  its  density. 
The  ensuing  winter  froze  this  into  a  mass  of  porous 
ice,  and  superadded  a  fresh  surface  of  snow.  The 
same  process  again  going  on  in  summer,  of  water 
percolating   through  the  porous  crystals,  which  in  its 


124  THE    OCEAN. 

turn  was  refrozen,  soon  changed  the  lowest  stratum 
into  a  mass  of  dense  and  transparent  ice.  Centuries 
of  alternate  winters  and  summers  have  thus  produced 
aggregations  of  enormous  bulk.  Scoresby  mentions 
one  of  eleven  miles  in  length,  and  four  hundred  feet 
in  height  at  the  seaward  edge,  whence  it  slopes  up- 
ward and  backward  till  it  attains  the  height  of  six- 
teen  hundred  feet;  an  inclined  plane  of  smooth 
unsullied  snow,  the  beauty  and  magnitude  of  which 
render  it  a  very  conspicuous  landmark  on  that  inhos- 
pitable shore.  The  upper  surface  of  a  land  iceberg  is 
usually  somewhat  hollow,  and  during  the  summer  the 
concavities  are  filled  with  pools  or  lakes  of  the  purest 
water,  which  often  wears  channels  for  itself  through 
the  substance,  or  is  precipitated  in  the  form  of  a 
cataract  over  the  edge.  The  water  freezing  in  fissures 
thus  produced,  and  expanding  with  irresistible  force, 
tears  off  large  fragments  from  the  outer  edge,  which 
are  precipitated  into  the  ocean;  and  high  spring 
tides,  lashed  by  storms,  undermine  portions  of  the 
base,  and  produce  the  same  effect.  The  masses  thus 
dislodged  float  away,  and  form  ice-islands.  When 
newly  broken,  the  fracture  is  said  to  present  a 
glistening  surface  of  a  clear  greenish  blue,  approach- 
ing an  emerald  green;  but  of  such  as  I  have  myself 
had  an  opportunity  of  examining  in  Newfoundland, 
the  hollows  were  of  the  purest  azure. 

"On  an  excursion  to  one  of  the  Seven  Icebergs," 
says  Mr.  Scoresby,  "in  July,  1818,  I  was  particu- 
larly fortunate  in  witnessing  one  of  the  grandest 
effects  which  these  polar  glaciers  ever  present.  A 
strong  north-westerly  swell  having  for  some  hours 


THE  ARCTIC   SEAS.  125 

been  beating  on  the  shore,  had  loosened  a  number 
of  fragments  attached  to  the  iceberg,  and  various 
heaps  of  broken  ice  denoted  recent  shoots  of  the 
seaward  edge.  As  we  rode  towards  it,  with  a  view 
of  proceeding  close  to  its  base,  I  observed  a  few 
little  pieces  fall  from  the  top ;  and  while  my  eye 
was  fixed  upon  the  place,  an  immense  column,  pro- 
bably fifty  feet  square,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
high,  began  to  leave  the  parent  ice  at  the  top,  and 
leaning  majestically  forward,  with  an  accelerated 
velocity  fell  with  an  awful  crash  into  the  sea.  The 
Avater  into  which  it  plunged  was  converted  into  an 
appearance  of  vapour  or  smoke,  like  that  from  a 
furious  cannonading.  The  noise  was  equal  to  that 
of  thunder,  which  it  nearly  resembled.  The  column 
which  fell  was  nearly  square,  and  in  magnitude 
resembled  a  church.  It  broke  into  thousands  of 
pieces.  This  circumstance  was  a  happy  caution,  for 
we  might  inadvertently  have  gone  to  the  very  base 
of  the  icy  cliff,  from  whence  masses  of  considerable 
magnitude  were  continually  breaking."* 

"  'Tis  sunset :  to  the  firmament  serene 

The  Atlantic  wave  reflects  a  gorgeous  scene; 

Broad  in  the  cloudless  west,  a  belt  of  gold 

Girds  the  blue  hemisphere;  above  unroll'd, 

The  keen,  clear  air  grows  palpable  to  sight, 

Embodied  in  a  flush  of  crimson  light, 

Through  which  the  evening  star,  with  milder  gleam, 

Descends  to  meet  her  image  in  the  stream. 

Far  in  the  east,  what  spectacle  unknown 

Allures  the  eye  to  gaze  on  it  alone  ? 

— Amidst  black  rocks,  that  lift  on  either  hand 

Their  countless  peaks,  and  mark  receding  land ; 


*  Arctic  Regions,  i.  104. 
L2 


126  THE    OCEAN. 

Amidst  a  tortuous  labyrinth  of  seas 

That  shine  around  the  arctic  Cyclades; 

Amidst  a  coast  of  dreariest  continent, 

In  many  a  shapeless  promontory  rent; 

— O'er  rocks,  seas,  islands,  promontories  spread, 

The  Ice-Blink  rears  its  undulated  head ; 

On  which  the  sun,  beyond  th'  horizon  shrined, 

Hath  left  his  richest  garniture  behind  ; 

Piled  on  a  hundred  arches,  ridge  by  ridge, 

O'er  fixed  and  fluid  strides  the  Alpine  bridge, 

Whose  blocks  of  sapphire  seem  to  mortal  eye 

Hewn  from  cerulean  quarries  of  the  sky  ; 

With  glacier  battlements,  that  crowd  the  spheres, 

The  slow  creation  of  six  thousand  years, 

Amidst  immensity  in  towers  sublime, 

Winter's  eternal  palace,  built  by  Time. 

All  human  structures  by  his  touch  are  borne 

Down  to  the  dust;  mountains  themselves  are  worn 

With  his  light  footstep  ;  here  forever  grows, 

Amid  the  region  of  untnelting  snows, 

A  monument;  where  every  flake  that  falls 

Gives  adamantine  firmness  to  the  walls. 

The  sun  beholds  no  mirror,  in  bis  race, 

That  shows  a  brighter  image  of  his  face; 

The  stars,  in  their  nocturnal  vigils,  rest 

Like  signal  fires  on  its  illumined  crest; 

The  gliding  moon  around  the  ramparts  wheels, 

And  all  its  magic  lights  and  shades  reveals; 

Beneath,  the  tide  with  idle  fur}'  raves 

To  undermine  it  through  a  thousand  caves, 

Rent  from  its  roof  though  thundering  fragments  oft 

riunge  to  the  gulf,  immovable  aloft, 

From  ago  to  age,  in  air,  o'er  sea,  on  land, 

Its  turrets  heighten,  and  its  piers  expand."* 


By  far  the  greatest  portion  of  the  ice  met  with 
in  navi^atinc:  these,  sens  is  of  marine  formation. 
During  the   greater  part  of  the   year,  in  high  lati- 

Montgoiucry's  "  Greenland,"  p.  CI. 


THE    ARCTIC    SEAS.  127 

tildes,  the  process  of  congelation  is  always  going 
on  at  the  surface  of  the  sea.  If  the  wind  is  high, 
the  crystals  cannot  readily  unite  into  a  solid  form, 
but  form  a  spongy  mass,  called  sludge :  when  this 
has  become  somewhat  thick,  however,  the  wind  can 
no  longer  act  upon  the  water,  so  as  to  raise  little 
ripples  upon  it,  and  the  sludge  now  begins  "to 
catch ;"  but  the  swell  prevents  one  uniform  surface 
being  yet  formed,  and  the  consequence  is,  that  small 
rounded  plates  of  ice  are  produced,  called  "pan- 
cakes," the  edges  of  which  are  raised  slightly,  by 
the  constant  pressure  of  one  against  another.  The 
cakes  in  the  centre  of  the  freezing  mass  now  begin 
to  adhere  to  each  other,  and  thus  a  solid  surface 
is  produced,  which  gradually  extends  both  its  dia- 
meter and  its  depth.  The  individual  pieces  of 
which  such  ice  is  composed  are  distinctly  to  be 
traced,  even  when  perfectly  consolidated,  and  pre- 
sent an  appearance  resembling  pavement.  But  in 
calm  weather,  a  thin  pellicle  of  ice  is  simulta- 
neously produced  over  the  whole  surface  of  the 
sea,  and  the  formation  of  the  ice-field  is  much 
more  direct  and  obvious.  Single  fields  have  been 
seen  many  leagues  in  length,  and  occupying  an 
area  of  several  hundred  square  miles;  being  at 
the  same  time  from  three  to  six  feet  high,  and 
from  ten  to  twenty  deep.  The  waves  produced 
by  storms  break  up  these  fields  into  smaller  pieces, 
called  floes,  and  driving  one  against  another  with 
violence,  the  edge  of  one  is  often  lifted  upon  the 
other  by  the  force  of  the  pressure,  and  hummocks 
or  hills,  of  various  shapes  and  sizes,  are  raised  upon 


128  THE   OCEAN. 

them.  Ice-fields  often  acquire  a  rotatory  motion ; 
and  when  we  consider  the  immense  weight  of  these 
ponderous  masses,  we  shall  have  an  idea  of  the 
irresistible  impetus  communicated  by  such  a  body 
in  motion.  Scoresby  calculates  one  mentioned  by 
him  at  ten  thousand  millions  of  tons  :  no  wonder, 
that  coming  in  contact  with  a  vessel,  her  iron  knees 
and  oaken  timbers  should  be  crushed  like  a  walnut, 
or  that  she  should  be  lifted  clean  out  of  the  water  by 
the  pressure,  and  placed  high  and  dry  upon  the  ice! 
From  this  cause  arise  many  of  the  accidents  which 
give  to  the  navigation  of  the  Arctic  sea  its  peculiarly- 
hazardous  character. 

"When  the  temperature  of  the  atmosphere  is  about 
two  or  three  degrees  above  the  freezing-point,  a 
surface  of  ice,  if  placed  in  a  horizontal  plane,  will 
melt,  not  by  a  general  dissolution  of  its  substance, 
but  so  as  to  leave  a  multitude  of  perpendicular 
columns,  or  needles.  In  the  late  attempt  to  reach 
the  North  Pole  by  boats  hauled  over  the  ice,  Cap- 
tain Parry  found  ice  in  this  condition  productive  of 
no  little  inconvenience.  At  the  very  commencement 
of  the  journey  we  find  it  thus  noticed: — "June 
26. — A  great  deal  of  the  ice  over  which  we  passed 
to-day  presented  a  very  curious  appearance  and 
structure,  being  composed,  on  its  upper  surface, 
of  numberless  irregular,  needle-like  crystals,  placed 
vertically,  and  nearly  close  together;  their  length 
varying,  in  different  pieces  of  ice,  from  five  to  ten 
inches,  and  their  breadth  in  the  middle  about  half 
an  inch,  but  pointed  at  botli  ends.  The  upper  sur- 
face of  ice  having  this   structure,  sometimes  looks 


THE   ARCTIC   SEAS.  129 

like  greenish  velvet ;  a  vertical  section  of  it,  which 
frequently  occurs  at  the  margin  of  floes,  resembles, 
while  it  remains  compact,  the  most  beautiful  satin 
spar ;  and  asbestos,  when  falling  to  pieces.  At  this 
early  part  of  the  season,  this  kind  of  ice  afforded 
pretty  firm  footing ;  but  as  the  summer  advanced 
the  needles  became  more  loose  and  movable,  ren- 
dering it  extremely  fatiguing  to  walk  over  them, 
besides  cutting  our  boots  and  feet — on  which  ac- 
count the  men  called  them  penknives."*  The  Cap- 
tain attributes  this  peculiar  structure  to  the  heavy 
drops  of  rain  piercing  their  way  downwards  through 
the  ice,  and  separating  it  into  needles. 

There  is  no  phenomenon  that  more  forcibly  brings 
before  the  mind  of  a  stranger  the  novelty  of  his 
position,  than  the  absence,  on  entering  within  the 
Arctic  Circle,  of  that  constant  alternation  of  day 
and  night,  which  we  are  accustomed  to  consider  as 
inseparable  from  the  constitution  of  our  world.  "We 
have  learned  this  fact  in  our  elementary  treatises  on 
Geography,  but  yet  it  is  difficult  to  realise  to  the 
mind  a  perpetual  day,  an  unsetting  sun.  When 
the  sun's  disk  is  obscured  by  a  fog,  it  is  no  uncom- 
mon thing  for  sailors  to  ask  each  other  if  it  be  night 
or  day :  and  Phipps,  on  his  return  voyage,  thought 
the  sight  of  a  star  an  occurrence  of  sufficient  mo- 
ment to  be  inserted  in  his  journal.  "  August  24th. 
> — We  saw  Jupiter :  the  sight  of  a  star  was  now 
become  almost  as  extraordinary  a  phenomenon  as 
the  sun  at  midnight,  when  we  first  got  within  the 
Arctic    Circle."      Our   voyagers    usually   seek   the 

*  Narrative  of  an  Attempt,  <tc,  p.  61. 


130  THE    OCEAN. 

Arctic  Ocean  in  spring,  and  leave  it  at  the  ap- 
proach of  autumn;  a  winter  residence  there  being 
dreaded  as  one  of  the  direst  calamities  that  can  befall 
them ;  and  therefore,  until  lately,  our  knowledge 
of  winter  phenomena  was  very  meagre,  and  mainly 
derived  from  the  reports  of  a  few  unhappy  men,  by 
accident  compelled  to  remain  in  a  clime  so  inhos- 
pitable. By  the  experience  of  the  officers  and  crews 
engaged  in  the  recent  voyages  of  discovery,  we  have 
become  nearly  as  familiar  with  the  phenomena  of  the 
long  winter's  night,  as  with  those  of  the  short  sum- 
mer's day.  In  Spitzbergen  the  day  is  rather  more 
than  four  months  long :  the  night  is  of  the  same 
duration,  and  in  the  two  months  which  intervene 
between  the  sun's  constant  presence  and  his  con- 
stant absence,  that  luminary  rises  and  sets  as  with 
us.  But  the  appearance  of  the  sun  in  spring  is  ac- 
celerated, and  its  disappearance  in  autumn  retarded, 
a  few  days,  by  the  influence  of  refraction;  so  that 
it  is  actually  seen  somewhat  longer  than  it  is  in- 
visible. Thus  Captain  Parry,  at  Melville  Island, 
saw  the  sun  on  the  first  of  February,  which  was 
about  four  days  earlier  than  its  actual  elevation 
above  the  horizon ;  in  like  manner  it  remained 
visible  until  the  11th  of  November,  whereas  it  had 
actually  sunk  beneath  the  horizon  on  tin'  7th. 
Then  the  darkness  of  the  Arctic  winter  is  not 
total  and  incessant;  even  in  the  depth  of  the 
season,  at  Spitzbergen,  there  is  a  faint  twilight 
for  six  hours  each  day,  and  this  is  longer  and 
brighter  in  proportion  to  the  distance  from  mid- 
winter  on   either   hand.     The    moon   also   shines  in 


THE   ARCTIC    SEAS. 


13L 


those  clear  skies  with  peculiar  brilliance,  and  is 
often  visible  twelve  or  fourteen  days  without  set- 
ting. There  is,  moreover,  a  large  proportion  of 
the  time,   in   which   the   Aurora  Borealis   illumines 


Ai*rora  Borealis. 

The  scene  is  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Three  Crowns  on  the  Coast  of 
Spitzbergen.     See  p.  106. 

the  heavens,  and  sometimes  with  an  intensity  little 
inferior  to  moonlight.  This  interesting:  meteor  is 
occasionally  seen  in  England,  but  very  rarely  with 
that  brilliance  with  which  it  shines  in  the  Frigid 
Zone,  and  in  the  northern  parts  of  America.  In 
Newfoundland  and  Canada  I  have  seen  many  spe- 
cimens of  the  Aurora,  and  some  splendidly  coloured 
with    blue,    green,    and    red    hues ;    sometimes    the 


132  THE    OCEAN. 

whole  sky  has  been  flushed  with  intense  crimson, 
which,  refleeted  from  the  snow  beneath,  had  an 
awful,  though  beautiful  appearance.  The  follow- 
ing details  of  one  which  I  observed  in  Lower  Ca- 
nada, in  February,  1887,  will  give  a  notion  of  the 
appearance  of  this  meteor  in  its  more  usual  state. 
"I  first  observed  it  about  half-past  eight  o'clock: 
a  long,  low,  irregular  arch  of  bright  yellow  light 
extended  from  the  north-east  to  the  north-west, 
*he  lower  edge  of  which  was  well  defined ;  the  sky 
beneath  this  arch  was  clear,  and  appeared  black,  but 
it  was  only  by  contrast  with  the  light,  for  on  ex- 
amination, I  could  not  find  that  it  was  really  darker 
than  the  other  parts  of  the  clear  sky.  The  upper 
edge  of  the  arch  was  not  defined,  shooting  out  rays 
of  light  towards  the  zenith  :  one  or  two  points  in 
the  arch  were  very  brilliant,  which  Avere  varying  in 
their  position.  Over  head,  and  towards  the  south, 
east,  and  west,  flashings  of  light  were  darting  from 
side  to  side:  sometimes  the  sky  was  dark,  then 
instantly  lighted  up  with  these  fitful  flashes,  vanish- 
ing and  changing  as  rapidly;  sometimes  a  kind 
of  crown  would  form  around  a  point  south  of  the 
zenith,  consisting  of  short  converging  pencils.  At 
nine  o'clock,  the  upper  and  southern  sky  was  filled 
with  clouds  or  undefined  patches  of  light,  nearly 
stationary;  the  eastern  part,  near  the  top,  being 
bright  crimson,  which  speedily  spread  over  the  upper 
part  of  the  northern  sky.  A  series  of  long  converg- 
ing pencils  was  now  arranged  around  a  blank  space 
about  15°  south  of  tin;  zenith,  the  northern  and 
eastern    rays    blood-red,    the   southern   and    western 


THE    ARCTIC   SEAS.  133 

pale  yellow ;  the  redness  would  flash  about,  as  did 
the  white  light  before,  still  not  breaking  the  general 
form  of  the  corona.  In  a  few  minutes  all  the  red 
hue  had  vanished,  leaving  the  upper  sky  nearly  un- 
occupied. The  arch  also  was  now  totally  gone,  and 
in  its  place  there  were  only  irregular  patches  of 
yellow  light,  of  varying  radiance.  At  a  quarter 
past  nine  the  upper  sky  was  again  filled  with  pale 
flashes:  in  the  north  were  perpendicular  pillars  of 
light,  comparatively  stationary.  At  half-past  nine 
there  was  no  material  change,  and  at  ten  all  had 
assumed  a  very  ordinary  appearance,  merely  large 
clouds  of  pale  light  being  visible."*  The  cause 
which  produces  these  beautiful  coruscations  of  light 
in  high  latitudes  has  not  yet  been  satisfactorily 
known :  it  seems  pretty  certain  that  their  origin  is 
in  general  far  above  our  atmosphere. 

Montgomery  alludes  to  the  Aurora  in  the  follow- 
ing beautiful  lines  : — 


'Midnight  hath  told  his  hour:  the  moon,  yet  young, 
Hangs,  in  the  argent  west,  her  bow  unstrung; 
Larger  and  fairer,  as  her  lustre  fades, 
Sparkle  the  stars  amidst  the  deepening  shades  : 
Jewels  more  rich  than  night's  regalia  gem 
The  distant  Ice-Blink's  spangled  diadem; 
Like  a  new  morn  from  orient  darkness,  there 
Phosphoric  splendours  kindle  in  mid-air, 
As  though  from  heaven's  self-opening  portals  came 
Legions  of  spirits  in  an  orb  of  flame, — ■ 
Flame  that  from  every  point  an  arrow  sends, 
Far  as  the.concave  firmament  extends: 
Spun  with  the  tissue  of  a  million  lines, 
Glistening  like  gossamer  the  welkin  shines : 


Canadian  Naturalist,  p.  47. 
M 


134  THE    OCEAN. 

The  constellations  in  their  pride  look  pale 
Through  the  quick  trembling  brilliance  of  that  veil 
Then  suddenly  converged,  the  meteors  rush 
O'er  the  wide  south ;  one  deep  vermilion  blush 
O'erspreads  Orion  glaring  on  the  flood, 
And  rabid  Sirius  foams  through  fire  and  blood; 
Again  the  circuit  of  the  pole  they  range, 
Motion  and  figure  every  moment  change, 
Through  all  the  colours  of  the  rainbow  run, 
Or  blaze  like  wrecks  of  a  dissolving  sun  : 
"Wide  ether  hums  with  glory,  conflict,  flight, 
And  the  glad  ocean  dances  in  -the  light."* 

This  interesting  meteor,  occurring  with  more  or 
less  of  splendour  in  rapid  succession,  added,  more- 
over, to  the  universal  reflection  of  what  light  may 
proceed  from  the  heavens  by  the  pure  whiteness  of 
the  ice  and  snow,  tends  greatly  to  lessen  the  darkness 
of  the  long  and  dreary  night,  though  these  causes 
cannot  diminish  the  cold.  The  latter  was  so  intense 
during  the  late  expeditions  of  discovery,  that  the 
temperature  was  55°  below  zero,  or  eighty- seven 
degrees  below  the  freezing-point. 

The  remarkable  appearances  called  mock  suns,  or 
parhelia,  are  extremely  frequent  within  the  Arctic 
Circle.  Their  usual  appearance  may  be  thus  de- 
scribed. When  the  sun  is  not  far  from  the  horizon, 
one  or  more  luminous  circles,  or  halos,  surround  it 
at  a  considerable  distance;  two  beams  of  light  go 
across  the  innermost  circle,  passing  through  tin; 
centre  of  the  sun,  the  one  horizontally,  the  other 
perpendicularly,  so  as  to  form  a  cross:  where  these 
beams  touch  the  circle,  the  light  is,  as  it  were,  con- 
centrated in  a  bright  spot,  sometimes  scarcely  in- 
ferior in  brilliance  to  the  sun  itself;  at  the  corre- 
:  •■  Greenland,"  p.  64. 


THE   ARCTIC   SEAS. 


135 


sponding  points  in  the  outermost  circle,  segments  of 
other  eircles,  wholly  external,  come  into  contact  with 
it.  It  is  not  often  that  this  meteor  is  seen  in  the 
perfection  described  :  oecasionally  the  circles  are  too 


Mock  Suns. 
The  scene  is  the  coast  of  Barrow's  Strait. 

faint  to  be  visible ;  and  the  mock  suns  alone  are 
seen  in  the  usual  places,  and  sometimes  but  one  or 
two  of  them.  Another  singular  appearance,  called 
the  fog-bow,  of  great  beauty  and  interest,  is  thus 
described  by  Mr.  Scoresby:  "The  intense  fogs 
which  prevail  in  the  Polar  Seas,  at  certain  seasons, 
occasionally  rest  upon  the  surface  of  the  water,  and 
reach  only  to  an  inconsiderable  height.      At  such 


136  THE    OCEAN. 

times,  though  objects  situated  on  the  water  can 
scarcely  be  discerned  at  the  distance  of  a  hundred 
yards,  yet  the  sun  will  be  visible  and  effulgent. 
Under  such  circumstances,  on  the  l'Jth  July,  1813, 
being  at  the  topmast  head,  I  observed  a  beautiful 
circle  of  about  80°  diameter,  with  bands  of  vivid 
colours  depicted  on  the  fog.  The  centre  of  the  circle 
was  in  a  line  drawn  from  the  sun  through  the  point 
of  vision,  until  it  met  the  visible  vapour  in  a  situa- 
tion exactly  opposite  the  sun.  The  lower  part  of 
the  circle  descended  beneath  my  feet  to  the  side  of 
the  ship ;  and  although  it  could  not  be  a  hundred  feet 
from  the  eye,  it  was  perfect,  and  the  colours  distinct. 
The  centre  of  the  coloured  circle  was  distinguished 
by  my  own  shadow,  the  head  of  which,  enveloped 
by  a  halo,  was  most  conspicuously  portrayed.  The 
halo  or  glory  was  evidently  impressed  on  the  fog,  but 
the  figure  appeared  to  be  a  shadow  on  the  water,  the 
diiferent  parts  of  which  became  obscure  in  proportion 
to  their  remoteness  from  the  head,  so  that  the  lower 
extremities  were  not  perceptible.  I  remained  a  long 
time  contemplating  the  beautiful  phenomenon  before 
me.  Notwithstanding  the  sun  was  brilliant  and 
warm,  the  fog  was  uncommonly  dense  beneath.  The 
sea  and  ice,  within  sixty  yards  of  the  ship,  could 
scarcely  be  distinguished.  The  prospect  thus  cir- 
cumscribed served  to  fix  the  attention  more  closely 
on  the  only  interesting  object  in  sight,  whose  radi- 
ance and  harmony  of  colouring,  added  to  the  singu- 
lar appearance  of  my  own  image,  were  productive  of 
sensations    of  admiration    and    delight."*     I    have 

*  Arct.  Reg.  i.  39J 


THE    ARCTIC    SEAS.  13f 

myself  had  the  pleasure  of  witnessing  this  beautiful 
phenomenon,  precisely  as  described  above,  and  in 
the  same  eircumstances :  it  was  in  the  month  of 
August,  1828,  on  the  coast  of  Newfoundland,  and 
was  viewed  from  the  shrouds  of  a  vessel  projected 
on  the  surface  of  a  dense  but  shallow  fog.  Some- 
times there  are  several  coloured  circles  surrounding 
each  other,  with  a  common  centre. 

The  cause  of  these  appearances  seems  to  be  the 
unequal  refraction  of  the  rays  of  light  by  passing 
through  media  of  varying  density.  To  a  similar  ori- 
gin may  be  ascribed  those  distortions  and  repetitions 
of  objects  near  the  horizon,  called  looming,  which  are 
occasionally  witnessed  even  in  this  country,  but  in 
the  northern  seas  are  very  frequent  and  amusingly 
fantastic.  The  ice  around  the  horizon,  either  almost 
flat  or  varied  only  by  slight  irregularities  of  surface, 
will  appear  raised  into  a  lofty  wall,  and  the  irregu- 
larities elevated  into  numberless  spires  or  towers  or 
pinnacles.  Ships  will  have  their  hulls  magnified  into 
castles ;  or  the  hull  will  be  diminished  to  a  narrow 
line,  and  the  masts  and  sails  drawn  up  to  a  ridiculous 
length;  or  some  of  the  sails  will  be  unduly  elevated, 
while  others  are  as  unnaturally  flattened.  But  more 
singular  than  this  is  the  frequent  repetition  of  the 
object  in  the  sky  just  above  it.  Thus  above  the 
spired  and  turreted  wall  of  ice  will  be  seen  on  the  sky 
another  wall  exactly  corresponding  to  it,  but  upside- 
down;  spire  meeting  spire,  and  tower  tower.  Above 
a  ship  will  be  an  inverted  figure  of  the  same  ship, 
as  palpable  and  apparently  as  real  as  the  true  one. 
This  I  once  saw,  in  two  vessels  in  the  Gulf  of  St. 

u2 


138 


THE    OCEAN. 


Lawrence.  Sometimes  another  image  may  be  seen 
above  the  inverted  one,  and  sometimes,  but  very  rarely, 
evfn  a  fourth.  In  such  cases,  the  third  is  always 
in  a    right    position,  and    the    fourth  inverted   like 


Distortions  of  Irregular  Refraction. 


the  second.  An  image  of  a  vessel  is  sometimes  seen 
projected  upon  the  sky,  when  nothing  corresponding 
to  it  is  visible  below,  the  real  object  being  far  below 
the  horizon.  Mr.  Scoresby  thus  saw  his  father's 
ship,  the  Fame,  drawn  upon  the  sky,  and  by  the  aid 
of  a  telescope  could  make  her  out  so  distinctly  as  to 
pronounce  with  confidence  upon  her  identity,  when, 
by  comparing  notes  afterwards,  it  was  found  that  she 
was  thirty  miles  distant  at  the  time,  and  seventeen 
miles  from  the  extreme  point  of  vision.  Somewhat 
allied  to  this  is  the  bright  gleam  seen  by  night  above 
field-ice,  called  ice-blink,  which  is  often  very  service- 


THE    ARCTIC    SEAS.  139 

able  in  indicating  the  presence  of  ice  below  the  hori- 
zon; or  by  the  dark  spots  and  patches  in  it  corre- 
sponding to  the  openings  of  water,  directing  the 
seamen,  when  beset,  how  to  reach  them,  when  other- 
wise their  existence  would  be  unknown. 

The  officers  engaged  in  the  late  expeditions  of  dis- 
covery have  remarked  the  impossibility  of  correctly 
measuring  distances  by  the  eye  when  traversing  a 
plain  of  unbroken  snow  or  ice.  Sometimes  in  tra- 
velling, they  would  discern  what  appeared  to  be  a 
rock  or  a  hummock  of  ice  of  considerable  magnitude, 
and  at  a  great  distance ;  and  having  set  their  course 
by  it,  rejoicing  that  for  some  time  the  painful  strain- 
ing of  the  sight  in  keeping  the  direction  would  be 
spared  by  the  advantage  of  so  conspicuous  a  mark,  in 
a  minute  or  two  they  would  reach  it,  when  it  would 
turn  out  to  be  some  insignificant  object,  scarcely 
larger  than  a  hat. 

Some  of  the  effects  of  intense  cold,  as  witnessed 
in  these  northern  climes,  are  mentioned  by  Mr. 
Scoresby,  and  are  interesting,  because  they  never 
occur  in  our  own  country.  After  mentioning  a  very 
sudden  depression  of  the  temperature,  he  says : — 
"This  remarkable  change  was  attended  with  singular 
effects.  The  circulation  of  the  blood  was  accelerated  ; 
a  sense  of  parched  dryness  was  excited  in  the  nose ; 
the  mouth,  or  rather  the  lips,  were  contracted  in  all 
their  dimensions,  as  by  a  sphincter,  and  the  articula- 
tion of  many  words  was  rendered  difficult  and  imper- 
fect ;  indeed,  every  part  of  the  body  was  more  or  less 
stimulated  or  disordered  by  the  severity  of  the  cold. 
A  piece  of  metal,  when  applied  to  the  tongue,  in- 


140  THE    OCEAN. 

stantly  adhered  to  it,  and  could  not  be  removed  with- 
out its  retaining  a  portion  of  the  skin ;  iron  became 
brittle,  and  such  as  was  at  all  of  inferior  quality, 
might  be  fractured  by  a  blow;  brandy  of  English 
manufacture  and  wholesale  strength  was  frozen ; 
quicksilver,  by  a  single  process,  might  have  been  con- 
solidated ;  the  sea,  in  some  places,  was  in  the  act  of 
freezing,  and  in  others  appeared  to  smoke,  and  pro- 
duced, in  the  formation  of.  frost-rime,  an  obscurity 
greater  than  that  of  the  thickest  fog.  The  subtle 
principle  of  magnetism  seemed  to  be,  in  some  way  or 
other,  influenced  by  the  frost;  fur  the  deck-com- 
passes became  sluggish,  or  even  motionless,  while  a 
cabin-compass  traversed  with  celerity.  The  ship  be- 
came enveloped  in  ice;  the  bows,  sides,  and  lower 
rigging  were  loaded;  and  the  rudder,  if  not  repeat- 
edly freed,  would  in  a  short  time  have  been  rendered 
immovable."*  In  winter,  however,  the  tempera- 
ture being  much  lower,  the  effects  of  intense  cold 
are  more  manifest.  E^ede  observes  of  Disco  Island 
in  the  month  of  January,  "  The  ice  and  hoar-frost 
reach  through  the  chimney  to  the  stove's  mouth, 
without  being  thawed  by  the  fire  in  the  day-time. 
Over  the  chimney  is  an  arch  of  frost,  with  little 
holes,  through  which  the  smoke  discharges  itself. 
The  doors  and  walls  are  as  if  they  were  plastered 
over  with  frost,  and,  which  is  scarcely  credible,  beds 
are  often  frozen  to  the  bedsteads.  The  linen  is  frozen 
in  the  drawers.  The  upper  eider-down  bed  and  the 
pillows  are  quite  stiff  with  frost  an  inch  thick,  from 
the   breath. "f     Many  of  these  results  1    have  myself 

•  Arot  Reg.  i.  330.  f  Crantz,  Jli.^t.  of  Greenland. 


THE   ARCTIC   SEAS.  141 

witnessed  in  Newfoundland  and  Lower  Canada,  some 
of  which  I  have  alluded  to  elsewhere  ;*  in  the  former 
country  it  is  not  uncommon  for  the  vapour  of  a 
sleeping-room,  condensed  on  the  windows  and  walls, 
to  take  the  form  of  thin  narrow  blades  of  ice  stand- 
ing out  horizontally,  very  closely  set  together;  the 
whole  making  a  dense  coating,  of  more  than  half  an 
inch  in  thickness,  of  spongy  frost.  In  the  first  win- 
ter spent  at  Melville  Island  by  Captain  Parry,  an  ac- 
cumulation of  a  similar  substance  was  observed,  that 
was  really  astonishing.  "  The  Hecla  was  fitted  with 
double  windows  in  her  stern,  the  interval  between 
the  two  sashes  being  about  two  feet;  and  within 
these  some  curtains  of  baize  had  been  nailed  close  in 
the  early  part  of  the  winter.  On  endeavouring  now 
to  remove  the  curtains,  they  were  found  to  be  so 
strongly  cemented  to  the  windows  by  the  frozen 
vapour  collected  between  them,  that  it  was  neces- 
sary to  cut  them  off,  in  order  to  open  the  windows ; 
and  from  the  space  between  the  double  sashes  we 
removed  more  than  twelve  large  buckets  full  of  ice, 
or  frozen  vapour,  which  had  accumulated  in  the  same 
manner."f 

The  shooting  out  of  crystals  of  beautiful  forms, 
when  vapour  is  deposited  upon  any  very  cold  sub- 
stance, is  a  very  pleasing  phenomenon.  The  feather- 
like hoar-froast,  so  often  seen  in  winter  on  steins  and 
blades  of  grass,  is  of  this  character.  But  it  is  in  the 
icy  seas  of  the  north  that  this  beauty  is  seen  in  per- 
fection. For  an  interesting  description,  we  have 
again  recourse  to  Mr.  Scoresby.     "  In  the  course  of 

*  Canadian  Naturalist,  350.  f  Parry's  First  Voyage,   146. 


142  THE    OCEAN. 

the  night,  the  rigging  of  the  ship  was  most  splen- 
didly decorated  with  a  fringe  of  delicate  crystals. 
The  general  form  of  these  was  that  of  a  feathei 
having  half  of  the  vane  removed.  Near  the  surface 
of  the  ropes  was  first  a  small  direct  line  of  very 
white  particles,  constituting  the  stem  or  shaft  of  the 
feather ;  and  from  each  of  these  fibres,  in  another 
plane,  proceeded  a  short  delicate  range  of  spicuhe  or 
rays,  discoverable  only  by  the  help  of  a  microscope, 
With  which  the  elegant  texture  and  systematic  con- 
struction of  the  feather  were  completed.  Many  of 
these  crystals,  possessing  a  perfect  arrangement  of 
the  different  parts  corresponding  with  the  shaft, 
vane,  and  rachis  of  a  feather,  were  upwards  of  an 
inch  in  length,  and  three-fourths  of  an  inch  in 
breadth.  Some  consisted  of  a  single  flake  or  feather ; 
but  many  of  them  gave  rise  to  other  feathers,  which 
sprang  from  the  surface  of  the  vane  at  the  usual 
angle.  There  seemed  to  be  no  limit  to  the  magni- 
tude of  these  feathers,  so  long  as  the  producing 
cause  continued  to  operate,  until  their  weight  be- 
came so  great,  or  the  action  of  the  wind  so  forcible, 
that  they  were  broken  off,  and  fell  in  flakes  to  the 
deck  of  the  ship."* 

In  our  own  winters  we  are  familiar  enough  with 
snow;  but,  probably,  few  are  aware  of  the  exceeding 
beauty,  regularity,  and  delicacy  which  mark  each  in- 
dividual crystal  of  this  production.  In  our  climate, 
indeed,  the  temperature  during  a  fall  of  snow  is 
rarely  low  enough  for  the  form  of  the  crystals  to  be 
perceived  ;  as  they  become  slightly  melted  in  passing 

•  Arct.  Beg.  i.  137. 


THE    ARCTIC    SEAS.  143 

through  the  air,  and  many  crystals  adhere  together, 
and  form  the  irregular  aggregations  called  flakes  of 
snow.  The  ordinary  form  is  that  of  a  six-rayed  star; 
but  the  rays  are  often  furnished  with  minute  side 
rays,  like  the  beards  of  a  feather,  or  are  varied  in 
almost  infinite  diversity.  The  angle,  however,  which 
is  formed  in  crystalization,  is  invariably  the  same, 
namely,  one  of  60°  ;  and  hence  arises  their  symmetry. 
Frost  is  a  powerful  antiseptic ;  as  fermentation 
will  not  take  place  in  a  low  temperature,  animal 
substances  may  be  kept  without  decay  for  an  inde- 
finite period.  It  is  customary  for  the  whalers  to 
take  out  their  meat  unsalted,  trusting  to  this  well- 
known  quality  of  cold.  Captain  Parry's  crew,  fast 
locked  up  in  the  ice  of  Melville  Island,  enjoyed  a 
Christmas  dinner  of  roast  beef,  perfectly  sweet, 
which  had  been  put  on  board  nine  months  before. 
The  Mammoth  which  was  dislodged  by  the  falling 
of  a  cliff  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Lena,  Lad  been 
preserved  from  putrefaction  for  uncounted  ages. 
And  more  affecting  instances  of  tin's  quality  have 
been  witnessed  in  the  bodies  of  men,  who,  having 
died  in  these  icy  regions,  had  lain  for  years  unburied 
without  decay.  In  1774,  the  uncouth  form  of  an 
apparently-deserted  ship  was  met  with,  strangely 
encumbered  with  ice  and  snow;  on  boarding  her,  a 
solitary  man  was  found  in  her  cabin,  Lis  fingers 
holding  the  pen,  while  before  him  lay  the  record 
which  that  pen  had  traced,  bearing  date  twelve  years 
before.  Xo  appearance  of  decay  was  manifest,  save 
that  a  little  greenish  mould  had  accumulated  on  his 
forehead.     A  strange  awe  crept  over  the  minds  of 


144  THE    OCEAN. 

those  who  thus  first  broke  in  upon  his  loneliness: 
for  twelve  years  had  that  ill-fated  bark  navigated, 
through  sun  and  storm,  the  Polar  Sea;  and,  perhaps, 
unconsciously  solving  the  problem  that  had  so  long 
baffled  human  skill  and  daring,  had  even  crossed  the 
Pole  itself. 

But  it  is  time  that  we  turn  from  the  consideration 
of  inanimate  nature  and  atmospheric  phenomena,  to 
inquire  what  are  the  living  productions  that  cheer 
the  loneliness  of  the  Arctic  mariner.  Of  the  vegeta- 
tion of  these  regions  we  know  little :  the  dreary 
level  shores  of  many  of  the  isles  are  marshy,  and 
densely  clothed  with  various  mosses,  which,  though 
frozen  in  winter,  revive  in  the  transient  summer. 
The  rocks,  too,  are  covered  with  lichens  of  various 
colours;  and  a  few  dwarf  flowering  plants  just  rise 
above  the  thin  soil.  Nothing  like  a  tree  varies  the 
scene,  but  large  trunks  of  trees  are  brought,  by  the 
currents,  from  distant  regions,  and  washed  upon  the 
sea  beach.  Some  of  the  Fuci  which  are  common 
with  us  are  found  also  on  these  shores,  and  doubt- 
less many  other  species  which  are  unknown  to  us. 

The  most  notorious  of  the  inhabitants  of  these 
dreary  seas  are  the  mighty  and  gigantic  Whales. 
"There  is  that  leviathan,  whom  thou  hast  made  to 
play  therein."  It  is  in  pursuit  of  these  immense 
creatures,  and  especially  the  Greenland  species,  the 
"right  Whale"  of  the  seamen  (Rtthvim  my.sticdus), 
that  many  ships,  well  manned  and  fitted  out  at  great 
expense,  proceed  every  year  from  England,  Holland, 
France,  and  other  nations,  into  the  Arctic  zone.  This 
valuable  animal  has  produced  to  Britain  700,000/.  in 


THE   ARCTIC  SEAS.  145 

a  single  year,  and  one  cargo  has  been  known  to  yield 
11,000/.  It  is,  therefore,  well  worth  our  considera- 
tion, and  the  more  particularly,  because  in  its  struc- 
ture and  habits  there  are  more  than  ordinary  evi- 
dences of  that  gracious  forethought  and  contrivance, 
the  tracing  of  which  makes  the  study  of  nature  so 
instructive.  The  Greenland  Whale  has  no  affinity 
with  fishes ;  it  is  as  much  a  mammal  as  the  ox  or  the 
elephant,  having  warm  blood,  breathing  air,  bringing 
forth  living  young,  and  suckling  them  with  true 
milk.  It  inhabits  the  Polar  Seas,  beyond  which 
there  is  no  satisfactory  proof  that  it  has  ever  been 
seen.  Its  length  is  from  fifty  to  sixty  feet,  when 
full  grown;  perhaps,  in  extremely  rare  cases,  seventy 
feet;  all  statements  giving  it  a  greater  length  than 
this,  either  refer  to  other  species,  such  as  the  great 
Rorqual,  or  are  gross  exaggerations.  The  form  is 
rather  clumsy,  the  head  being  very  large,  and  the 
mouth  reaching  to  scarcely  less  than  a  fourth  of  the 
total  length  of  the  animal.  The  gullet  is  so  small  as 
not  to  admit  the  passage  of  a  fish  so  large  as  a  her- 
ring ;  hence  its  support  is  derived  from  creatures  of 
very  small  bulk,  and  apparently  insignificant,  such 
as  shrimps,  sea  slugs,  sea  blubbers,  and  animalcules 
still  smaller,  which  I  will  presently  notice.  But 
how  does  it  secure  its  minute  and  almost  invisible 
prey  ?  for  without  some  express  provision,  these 
atoms  would  be  quite  lost  in  the  cavity  of  its 
capacious  mouth,  unless  swallowed  promiscuously 
with  the  water,  which  would  fill  the  stomach  be- 
fore a  hundredth  part  of  the  meal  was  obtained. 
There  is  a  very  peculiar    contrivance  to  meet   this 

10  N 


]46  THE   OCEAN. 

exigency;  tlie  mouth  has  no  teeth,  but  from  each 
upper  jaw  proceed  more  than  three  hundred  horny 
plates,  set  parallel  to  each  other,  and  very  close; 
they  run  perpendicularly  downwards,  are  fringed  on 
the  inner  edge  with  hair,  and  diminish  in  size  from 
the  central  plate  to  the  first  and  last,  the  central  one 
being  about  twelve  feet  long.  The  plates  are  com- 
monly called  whalebone,  and  their  substance  is  well 
known  to  everybody;  they  form  an  important  object 
of  the  fishery.  The  lower  jaw  is  very  deep,  like  a 
vast  spoon,  and  receives  these  depending  plates,  the 
use  of  which  is  this:  when  the  Whale  feeds,  he  swims 
rapidly  just  under  or  at  the  surface,  with  his  mouth 
wide  open;  the  water  with  all  its  contents  rushes 
into  the  immense  cavity,  and  filters  out  at  the  sides 
between  the  plates  of  the  whalebone,  which  are  so 
close,  and  so  finely  fringed,  that  every  particle  of 
solid  matter  is  retained. 

Though  the  Whale,  like  all  other  Mammalia,  is 
formed  for  breathing  air  alone,  and  is  therefore  ne- 
cessitated to  come  to  the  surface  of  the  sea  at  certain 
intervals,  yet  those  intervals  are  occasionally  of  great 
length.  We  well  know  that  we  could  not  intermit 
the  process  of  breathing  for  a  single  minute  without 
great  inconvenience,  and  the  lapse  of  only  a  few  mi- 
nutes would  be  followed  by  insensibility  and  perhaps 
death.  The  Whale,  however,  can  remain  an  hour 
under  water,  or,  in  an  emergency,  even  nearly  two 
hours,  though  it  ordinarily  comes  up  to  breathe  at 
intervals  of  eight  or  ten  minutes,  except  when  feeding, 
when  it  is  sometimes  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  or  twenty 
minutes  submerged.      Now  the  object  of  breathing 


THE  ARCTIC    SEAS.  ]47 

is  to  renew  the  vital  qualities  of  the  blood  by 
presenting  it  to  the  air,  the  oxygen  in  which  uniting 
with  the  blood  renders  it  again  fit  for  sustaining 
life.  But  if  more  blood  could  be  oxygenized  at  once 
than  is  wanted  for  immediate  use,  and  the  overplus 
deposited  in  a  reservoir  until  wanted,  respiration 
could  be  dispensed  with  for  a  while.  This  is  actually 
what  the  wisdom  of  God  has  contrived  in  the  Whale. 
The  exhausted  blood,  which  is  returned  by  the  veins, 
having  been  renewed  by  its  communication  with  the 
air  in  the  lungs,  is  carried  to  the  heart,  whence  only 
a  part  is  carried  away  into  the  system,  the  remainder 
being  received  into  a  great  irregular  reservoir^  con- 
sisting of  a  complicated  series  of  arteries,  which  first 
lines  a  large  portion  of  the  interior  of  the  chest,  then 
insinuating  itself  between  the  ribs,  forms  a  large 
cushion  outside  of  them  near  the  spine,  and  also 
within  the  spinal  tube,  and  even  within  the  skull. 
The  blood  thus  reserved  is  poured  into  the  system 
as  it  is  needed,  and  thus  prevents  the  necessity  of 
frequent  access  to  the  surface. 

It  is  an  object  of  importance  that  the  act  of  breath- 
ing should  be  performed  with  as  little  effort  as  possible, 
and  therefore  the  windpipe  is  made  to  terminate 
not  in  the  mouth,  nor  in  nostrils  placed  at  the 
extremity  of  the  muzzle.  If  this  were  the  case  it 
would  require  a  large  portion  of  the  head  and  body  to 
be  projected  from  the  water,  or  else  that  the  animal 
should  throw  itself  into  a  perpendicular  position; 
either  of  which  alternatives  would  be  inconvenient 
when  swimming  rapidly,  as,  for  example,  endeavouring 
to    escape  when    harpooned.     The    windpipe,   there- 


]48  THE    OCEAN. 

fore,  communicates  with  the  air  at  the  very  top  of 
the  head,  which,  by  a  peculiar  rising  or  hump  at  that 
part,  is  the  very  highest  part  of  the  animal  when 
horizontal,  so  that  it  can  breathe  when  none  of  its  body 
is  exposed  except  the  very  oriiice  itself.  The  Whale 
often  begins  to  breathe  when  a  little  belowr  the  sur- 
face,  and  then  the  force  with  which  the  air  is  expired 
blows  up  the  water  lying  above  in  a  jet  or  stream, 
which  with  the  condensed  moisture  of  the  breath 
itself  constitutes  what  are  called  "  the  spoutings," 
and  which  are  attended  with  a  rushing  noise  that  may 
be  heard  upwards  of  a  mile.  Some  naturalists  have 
maintained  that  a  stream  of  water  is  ejected  from  the 
blow-hole  in  the  form  of  an  united  column,  mounting 
high  before  it  falls  again  in  a  shower.  But  from  my 
own  observation  on  many  individuals  (seen  in  the 
Atlantic),  I  incline  to  the  former  conclusion;  as  I 
have  invariably  seen  the  ejected  matter,  instead  of 
forming  a  column,  and  falling  in  a  shower,  sail  away 
upon  the  breeze  like  a  little  white  cloud.  These 
"were,  I  suppose,  Korquals:  but  what  is  true  of  one 
species,  is  probably  true  of  all.  There  are  one  or 
two  other  beautiful  cuntrivances  connected  with  the 
structure  of  this  air-passage,  that  arc  well  worth  no- 
ticing. In  the  agony  and  terror  caused  by  the  blow 
of  the  harpoon,  the  Whale  usually  plunges  directly 
downward  into  the  depths  of  the  sea,  ami  that  with 
such  force  that  the  mouth  has  been  found  on  return- 
ing to  the  surface,  covered  with  the  mud  of  the  bot- 
tom; while  in  some  instances  the  jaws,  and  in  others 
tin'  skull,  have  been  fractured  by  the  violence  with 
Which    they  have   struck   the  ground.      A  Whale  has 


THE   ARCTIC    SEAS.  149 

been  known  to  descend  perpendicularly  to  the  depth 
of  a  mile,  as  measured  by  the  length  of  line  "run 
out;"  where  the  pressure  of  the  immense  body  of 
water  above  would  be  equal  to  a  ton  upon  every 
square  inch.  And  Mr.  Scoresby  mentions  a  case  in 
which  a  boat  that  was  accidentally  entangled  was 
carried  down  by  the  Whale,  which  was  presently 
captured,  and  the  boat  recovered  by  being  drawn  up 
with  the  line;  but  from  the  intense  pressure,  the 
water  had  been  forced  into  the  pores  of  the  solid 
oak,  so  that  it  was  completely  saturated,  and  sunk 
like  lead :  the  paint  came  off  in  large  sheets,  and  the 
Avood  thrown  aside  to  be  nsed  as  fuel,  was  found  to 
be  useless,  for  it  would  not  burn.  A  piece  of  the 
lightest  fir-wood,  which  was  in  the  boat,  came  up  in 
exactly  the  same  soaked  condition,  having  totally 
lost  the  power  of  floating.  To  resist  such  a  pressure 
as  this,  the  blow-holes  of  the  Whale  tribe  are  closed 
with  a  valve-like  stopper  of  great  density  and  elasti- 
city, somewhat  resembling  India-rubber,  which,  ac- 
curately fitting  the  orifice,  excludes  all  water  from 
the  windpipe,  becoming  more  tightly  inserted  in 
proportion  to  the  pressure. 

But  this  precaution  would  be  vain,  if  the  structure 
of  the  interior  of  the  mouth  were  the  same  as  in 
other  Mammalia.  Usually  the  windpipe  and  gullet 
open  into  a  hollow  at  the  back  of  the  mouth,  and 
the  passage  to  the  nostrils  proceeds  from  it  likewise. 
The  windpipe  passes  up  in  front  of  the  gullet,  and 
the  food  which  passes  over  the  former  is  prevented 
from  entering  it  by  a  lid  or  valve,  which  shuts  down 
during  the  act  of  swallowing,  but  at  other  times  is 

.\2 


150  THE    OCEAN. 

erect.  But  if  such  were  the  construction  in  the 
Whale,  the  force  with  which  the  water  rushes  into 
the  mouth  would  inevitably  carry  a  large  portion  of 
the  fluid  down  upon  the  lungs,  and  the  animal  would 
be  suffocated.  The  windpipe  is  therefore  carried 
upward  in  a  conical  form,  with  the  aperture  upon 
the  top,  and  this  projecting  cone  is  received  into  the 
lower  end  of  the  blowing-tube,  which  tightly  grasps 
it;  and  thus  the  communication  between  the  lungs 
and  the  air  is  effected  by  a  continuous  tube,  which 
crosses  the  orifice  of  the  gullet,  leaving  a  space  on 
each  side  for  the  passage  of  the  food. 

It  is  doubtless  to  give  increased  power  of  resist- 
ance to  the  eye  of  the  Whale  in  the  pressure  of 
enormous  depths,  that  there  is  a  peculiar  thickness 
in  the  sclerotic  coat.  This  is  the  part  which  in  man 
is  usually  called  the  white  of  the  eye.  "When  we 
make  a  section  of  the  whole  eye,  cutting  through  the 
cornea,  the  sclerotic  coat,  which  is  as  dense  as  tanned 
leather,  increases  in  thickness  towards  the  back  part, 
and  is  full  five  times  the  thickness  behind  that  it  is 
at  the  anterior  part.  The  fore  part  of  the  eye  sus- 
tains the  pressure  from  without,  and  requires  no  ad- 
ditional support;  but  were  the  back  part  to  yield, 
the  globe  would  then  be  distended  in  that  direction, 
and  the  whole  interior  of  the  eye  consequently  suffer 
derangement.  We  see,  then,  the  necessity  of  the 
coats  being  thus  remarkably  thickened  behind."* 

Another  no  less  interesting  deviation  from  ordinary 
structure  is  found  in  the  skin;  the  object  still  being 
defence  against  external  pressure.  Every  one  is  pro- 
*  J>;d.y>  Nat,  Tbeol,  Hell  and  Brougham's  edit.  j».  40. 


THE   ARCTIC    SEAS.  151 

bably  aware  that  the  body  of  the  Whale  is  encased  in 
a  thick  coat  of  fat,  denominated  blubber,  varying  in 
jdiameter  from  eight  inches  to  nearly  two  feet  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  animal.  It  has,  however,  been  only 
^recently  known  that  this  fat  lies  not  under  the  skin, 
but  actually  in  its  substance,  I  shall  describe  this  in 
the  words  of  Professor  Jacob,  who  first  made  known 
this  interesting  peculiarity: — "That  structure  in 
which  the  oil  is  deposited,  denominated  blubber,  is 
the  true  skin  of  the  animal,  modified  certainly  for 
the  purpose  of  holding  this  fluid  oil,  but  still  being 
the  true  skin.  Upon  close  examination  it  is  found 
to  consist  of  an  interlacement  of  fibres,  crossing  each 
other  in  every  direction,  as  in  common  skin,  but  more 
open  in  texture,  to  leave  room  for  the  oil.  Taking 
tha  hog  as  an  example  of  an  animal  covered  with  an 
external  layer  of  fat,  we  find  that  we  can  raise  the 
true  skin  without  any  difficulty,  leaving  a  thick  layer 
of  cellular  membrane,  loaded  with  fat,  of  the  same 
nature  as  that  in  the  other  parts  of  the  body ;  on  the 
contrary,  in  the  Whale  it  is  altogether  impossible  to 
raise  any  layer  of  skin  distinct  from  the  rest  of  the 
blubber,  however  thick  it  may  be;  and,  in  flensing  a 
Whale,  the  operator  removes  this  blubber  or  skin 
from  the  muscular  parts  beneath,  merely  dividing 
with  his  spade  the  connecting  cellular  membrane.'1* 
Such  a  structure  as  this,  being  firm  and  elastic  in  the 
highest  degree,  operates  like  so  much  India-rubber, 
possessing  a  density  and  power  of  resistance  which  in- 
creases with  the  pressure.  But  this  thick  coating  of 
fat  subserves  other  important  uses.     An  inhabitant 

*  Dublin  Pbilos   Journ.  i.  356. 


J  52  THE    OCEAN. 

of  seas  where  the  cold  is  most  intense,  yet  warm- 
blooded, and  dependent  for  existence  on  keeping  up 
the  animal  heat,  the  Whale  is  furnished  in  this  thick 
wrapper  with  a  substance  which  resists  the  abstrac 
tion  of  heat  from  the  body  as  fast  as  it  is  generated, 
and  thus  is  kept  comfortably  warm  in  the  fiercest 
polar  winters.  Again,  the  oil  contained  in  the  cella 
of  the  skin  being  specifically  lighter  than  water,  adds 
to  the  buoyancy  of  the  animal,  and  thus  saves  much 
muscular  exertion  in  swimming  horizontally  and  in 
rising  to  the  surface;  the  bones,  being  of  a  porous  or 
spongy  texture,  have  a  similar  influence. 

These  few  particulars  in  the  physiology  of  these 
vast  creatures  may  serve  to  carry  our  minds  up  in 
adoring  wonder  to  the  mercy  as  well  as  wisdom  of 
the  Lord  God  Almighty,  and  may  give  us  a  glimpse 
of  the  meaning  of  that  glorious  truth,  "And  God 
saw  everything  that  He  had  made,  and  behold  it 
was  very  good."  Many  other  instances  of  beau- 
tiful contrivance  and  design  might  easily  be  added, 
in  the  construction  of  the  mouth,  the  eyes,  the  fins, 
the  tail ;  but  all  would  lead  us  to  the  same  result : 
and  these  which  I  have  adduced  may  be  taken  as 
a  sample  of  the  rich  feast  which  the  study  of  nature 
affords  to  the  Christian  student. 

The  capture  of  these  immense  animals,  from  their 
vast  strength,  the  fickle  element  on  which  it  is  pur- 
sued, and  the  horrors  peculiar  to  the  Arctic  regions, 
is  an  adventure  of  extraordinary  hazard.  The  ships, 
built  for  the  purpose,  and  strengthened  with  much 
oak  and  iron,  leave  the  northern  parts  of  this  country 
curly    in    April,    and    by    the    end    of    the    month 


THE   ARCTIC    SEAS.  153 

usually  reach  the  scene  of  their  enterprise.  Arrived 
within  the  limits  of  constant  day,  an  unceasing  watch 
is  kept  for  Whales,  by  an  officer  stationed  in  a  snug 
sort  of  pulpit,  called  the  croiv's-7iest,  made  of  hoops 
and  canvas,  and  well  secured  at  the  main-topmast 
head.  The  boats,  which  combine  strength  and  light- 
ness, are  always  kept  hanging  over  the  sides  and 
quarters  of  the  ship,  ready  furnished  for  pursuit,  so 
that  on  the  appearance  of  a  Whale  being  announced 
from  aloft,  one  or  more  boats  can  be  despatched  in 
less  than  a  minute.  Each  boat  carries  a  harpooner, 
whose  station  is  in  the  bow,  a  steersman,  and  several 
rowers.  In  an  open  space  in  the  bow  of  the  boat 
is  placed  a  line  sometimes  more  than  4000  feet  in 
length,  coiled  up  with  beautiful  regularity  and  scru- 
pulous care.  The  end  of  this  is  fastened  to  the 
harpoon,  a  most  important  weapon,  made  of  the 
toughest  iron,  somewhat  in  the  form  of  an  anchor, 
but  brought  to  an  edge  and  point.  Instead  of  steel 
being  employed,  as  is  commonly  supposed,  the  very 
softest  iron  is  chosen  for  this  important  implement, 
so  that  it  may  be  scraped  to  an  edge  with  a  knife.  A 
long  staff  is  affixed  to  the  harpoon,  by  which  it  is 
wielded.  The  boat  is  swiftly,  but  silently,  rowed  up 
to  the  unconscious  Whale,  and  when  within  a  few 
yards,  the  harpooner  darts  his  weapon  into  its  body. 
Smarting  and  surprised,  the  animal  darts  away  into 
the  depth  of  the  ocean,  but  carries  the  harpoon 
sticking  fast  by  the  barbs,  while  the  coiled  line 
runs  out  with  amazing  velocity.  A  sheeve  or  pulley 
is  provided,  over  which  it  passes;  but  if  by  accident 
it  slips  out  of  its  place,  the  friction  is  so  great  that 


154  THE    OCEAN. 

the  bow  of  the  boat  is  speedily  enveloped  in  smoke, 
and  instances  are  not  (infrequent  of  the  gunwale 
even  bursting  into  a  flame,  or  even  of  the  head  of  the 
boat  being  actually  sawn  off  by  the  line.  To  prevent 
this,  a  bucket  of  water  is  always  kept  at  hand,  to 
allay  the  friction.  Accidents  even  still  more  tragic 
sometimes  occur  from  entanglements  of  the  line. 
"A  sailor  belonging  to  the  John  of  Greenock,  in 
1818,  happening  to  slip  into  a  coil  of  running  rope, 
had  his  foot  entirely  cut  off,  and  was  obliged  to  have 
the  lower  part  of  the  leg  amputated.  A  harpooner 
belonging  to  the  Hamilton,  when  engaged  in  lancing 
a  Whale,  incautiously  cast  a  little  line  under  his  foot. 
The  pain  of  the  lance  induced  the  Whale  to  dart  sud- 
denly downwards  ;  his  line  began  to  run  out  from 
under  his  feet,  and  in  an  instant  caught  him  by  a 
turn  round  the  body.  He  had  just  time  to  call  out, 
'Clear  away  the  line. — Oh  dear!'  when  he  was 
almost  cut  asunder,  dragged  overboard,  and  never 
seen  afterwards."  Many  such-like  anecdotes  are  on 
record. 

When  a  boat  is  "fast"'  to  the  Whale,  a  little  flag 
is  instantly  hoisted  in  the  stern  as  a  signal  to  the 
ship,  and  other  boats  are  at  once  despatched  to  its 
assistance.  Sometimes,  before  their  help  can  arrive, 
the  united  lines  of  the  boats  first  sent  are  all  run 
out,  in  which  case  the  men  are  obliged  to  cut  the 
line,  and  lose  it  with  the  Whale,  or  the  boat  would 
be  dragged  under  water.  But  generally  some  of  the 
free  boats  can  approach  sufficiently  near  the  animal 
on  his  return  to  the  surface,  to  dart  another  harpoon 
into  Ins  body;  perhaps  he  again  dives,  but  return* 


THE   ARCTIC    SEAS.  155 

much  exhausted.  The  men  now  thrust  into  his  body 
long  and  slender  steel  lances,  and  aiming  at  the  vitals 
these  wounds  soon  prove  fatal:  blood  mixed  with 
water  is  discharged  from  the  blow-holes,  and  pre- 
sently streams  of  blood  alone  are  ejected,  which 
frequently  drench  the  boats  and  men,  and  colour 
the  sea  far  around.  Sometimes  the  last  agony  of  the 
victim  is  marked  by  convulsive  motions  with  the  tail, 
attended  with  imminent  danger;  but  at  other  times, 
it  yields  its  life  quietly,  turning  gently  over  on  its 
side.  The  flags  are  now  struck,  three  hearty  cheers 
resound,  and  the  unwieldy  prey  is  towed  in  triumph 
to  the  ship. 

So  huge  a  mass,  of  course,  is  slowly  moved 
through  the  water,  but  there  are  few  operations 
that  are  more -joyously  performed;  it  is  like  the 
harvest-home  of  the  farmer.  When  arrived,  it  is 
secured  alongside  the  ship,  and  somewhat  stretched 
by  tackles  at  the  head  and  tail,  and  the  process  of 
flensing  commences.  The  men  having  shoes  armed 
with  long  iron  spikes  to  maintain  their  footing,  get 
down  on  the  huge  and  slippery  carcass,  and  with 
very  long  knives  and  sharp  spades  make  parallel  cuts 
through  the  blubber,  from  the  head  to  the  tail.  iV 
band  of  fat,  however,  is  left  around  the  neck,  called 
the  kent,  to  which  hooks  and  ropes  are  attached  for 
the  purpose  of  shifting  round  the  carcass.  The  long 
parallel  strips  are  divided  across  into  portions  weigh- 
ing about  half  a  ton  each,  and  being  separated  from 
the  flesh  beneath,  are  hoisted  on  board,  chopped  into 
pieces,  and  put  into  casks.  When  the  whalebone 
is  exposed,  it  is  detached  by  spades,  &c,  made  for  the 


156  THE    OCEAN. 

purpose,  and  hoisted  on  deck  in  a  mass ;  it  is  then 
split  into  junks,  containing  eight  or  ten  blades  each. 
Sometimes  the  jaws  are  taken  out,  and  being  fixed  in 
a  perpendicular  position  on  deck,  with  the  extremi- 
ties in  vessels,  a  considerable  quantity  of  oil  gradu- 
ally drains  from  them.  The  carcass  is  then  cut  away 
as  valueless  to  man,  though  a  valuable  prize  to  bears, 
birds,  and  sharks.  Sometimes  the  carcass  sinks  im- 
mediately. Mr.  Scoresby  mentions  a  case  in  which 
it  had  been  cut  adrift  prematurely,  one  of  the  men 
being  still  upon  it;  it  began  to  sink,  but  unfortu- 
nately a  hook  in  his  boot  had  a  firm  hold  of  the 
flesh;  he  convulsively  grasped  the  side  of  the  boat 
in  which  his  comrades  were,  and  the  whole  immense 
weight  was  suspended  by  his  foot.  The  torture  was 
extreme;  it  was  expected  every  instant  that  his  foot 
would  be  rent  off,  or  that  his  body  would  be  torn 
asunder;  but  presently,  by  the  merciful  interposi- 
tion of  God,  one  of  his  companions  contrived  to  hook 
a  grapnel  into  the  carcass,  and  it  was  drawn  suffi- 
ciently near  the  surface  for  him  to  be  extricated. 

The  Whale  to  which  the  preceding  notices  refer, 
is  by  no  means  the  largest  of  the  tribe,  as  the  Great 
"Rorqual  (Bahznoptera  hoops)  sometimes  attains 
nearly  double  the  length  of  the  former.  Two  spe- 
cimens have  been  measured  of  the  length  of  one 
hundred  and  five  feet,  and  Sir  A.  de  Capell  Brooke 
asserts,  that  it  is  occasionally  seen  of  the  enormous 
dimensions  of  a  hundred  and  twenty  feet  The 
Rorqual  inhabits  the  same  seas  as  the  "  right" 
Whale,  but  is  not  usually  seen  in  company  with 
it;    they    seem    rather    to    avoid    each    other.     The 


THE   ARCTIC    SEAS.  157 

thinness  of  its  blubber,  and  the  shortness  of  its 
whalebone,  render  it  of  far  less  value  than  the  other 
species;  besides  which,  its  swiftness,  strength,  and 
determination,  render  it  a  hazardous  enemy  to  en- 
counter. Hence  it  is  usually  avoided  by  the  whalers, 
though  the  adventurous  inhabitants  of  the  Arctic 
shores  of  Europe  do  not  hesitate  to  attack  it.  It 
is  worthy  of  our  notice,  however,  on  account  of  its 
affording  an  instance  of  what  has  been  called,  in 
an  examination  of  the  care  of  Almighty  God  over 
his  inferior  creatures,  the  principle  of  compensation. 
When  any  organ,  or  set  of  organs  that  answer  pur- 
poses very  important  in  the  economy  of  an  animal, 
are  removed  in  a  kindred  species  with  similar  habits, 
or  are  so  modified  as  no  longer  to  serve  the  same 
purpose,  some  new  structure  is  bestowed  upon  it, 
to  supply  the  lack  of  that  which  is  removed.  We 
have  seen  how  the  Whale  feeds,  by  receiving  into  its 
mouth  a  large  quantity  of  water,  which  is  filtered 
through  the  whalebone.  In  order  to  this,  the  mouth 
is  made  very  capacious  by  the  bowing  over  of  the 
upper  jawrs  in  the  form  of  a  high  arch,  the  blades  of 
whalebone  filling  up  the  bow.  But  in  the  Rorqual 
the  two  jaws  are  nearly  straight,  and  the  blades  vary 
little  in  length,  so  that  thus  far  the  cavity  of  the 
mouth  is  inconsiderable.  Here  comes  in  the  com- 
pensation :  the  lower  part  of  the  mouth  (or,  exter- 
nally, the  chin  and  throat),  instead  of  being  stretched 
tightly  across  the  branches  of  the  lower  jaw,  are 
wrinkled  up  into  many  longitudinal  folds,  which, 
when  the  water  rushes  into  the  mouth,  expand  and 
make  a  capacious   pouch  or  bag.      On  shutting  tha 

0 


158  THE    OCEAN. 

mouth  and  contracting  the  muscles  of  the  throat,  the 
flesh  is  pursed  up  again  into  folds,  and  the  water  is 
driven,  as  in  the  former  case,  through  the  whalebone, 
which  secures  the  food. 

The  Whales,  gigantic  as  they  are,  yet  having  little 
power  of  offence,  find  to  their  cost,  in  common 
with  nobler  creatures,  that  harmlessness  is  often  no 
resource  against  violence.  Several  species  of  the 
voracious  Sharks  make  the  Whale  the  object  of 
their  peculiar  attacks ;  the  Arctic  Shark  (Scymnus 
borealis)  is  said,  with  its  serrated  teeth,  to  scoop  out 
hemispherical  pieces  of  flesh  from  the  Whale's  body 
as  big  as  a  man's  head,  and  to  proceed  without  mercy 
until  its  appetite  is  satiated.  Another  Shark,  often 
called  the  Thresher  (Carcharias  vutyes),  which  is 
sometimes  upwards  of  twelve  feet  long,  is  said  to 
use  its  muscular  tail,  that  is  nearly  half  its  whole 
length,  to  inflict  terrible  slaps  on  the  Whale;  though 
one  would  be  apt  to  imagine  that  if  this  whipping 
were  all,  the  huge  creature  would  be  more  fright- 
ened than  hurt.  The  Sword-fish  (Xiphias  gladius\ 
however,  in  the  long  and  bony  spear  that  projects 
from  its  snout,  seems  to  be  furnished  with  a  weapon 
which  may  reasonably  alarm  even  the  leviathan  of 
the  deep,  especially  as  the  will  to  use  his  sword,  if 
we  may  believe  eye-witnesses,  is  in  nowise  deficient. 
The  late  Captain  Crow  records  an  incident  of  this 
kind  with  much  circumstantiality :  "  One  morning," 
he  observes,  "during  a  calm,  when  near  the  He- 
brides, all  hands  were  called  up  at  .">  a.m.  to  witness 
a  battle  between  several  of  the  fish,  called  Threshers, 
or  Fox  Sharks,  and   sumc  Sword-fish,  on  one  side, 


i  AlMWt 


'     !.    ;J;    • 


THE    ARCTIC    SEAS.  161   . 

and  an  enormous  Whale  on  the  other.     It  was  in  the 
middle  of  summer,  and  the  weather  being  clear,  and 
the  fish  close  to  the  vessel,  we  had  a  fine  opportunity 
of  witnessing  the  combat.     As  soon  as  the  Whale's 
back    appeared    above    the    water,    the    Threshers, 
springing  several  yards  into  the  air,  descended  with 
great  violence  upon  the  object  of  their  rancour,  and 
inflicted  upon  him  the  most  severe  slaps  with  their 
long  tails,  the  sound  of  which  resembled  the  reports 
of  muskets  fired  at  a  distance.     The  Sword-fish,  in 
their  turn,  attacked  the  distressed  Whale,  stabbing 
from  below ;  and  thus  beset  on  all  sides  and  wounded, 
when  the  poor  creature  appeared,  the  water  around 
him  was    dyed  with   blood.     In    this    manner  they 
continued  tormenting  and  wounding  him  for  many 
hours,  until  we  lost  sight  of  him;  and  I  have  no 
doubt  they,  in  the  end,  completed  his  destruction."* 
Some  discredit  has  been  thrown  on  this  and  similar 
accounts,  on  the  ground  that  the  fishes  could  have  no 
object  in  persecuting  the  Whale ;  but  the  circum- 
stance  is    not    more   extraordinary  than   the   well- 
known  custom  which  little  birds  have  of  surround- 
ing  and   teasing,    or    "  mobbing,"   as   it   is    called, 
any  large  bird  to  which  they  are  unaccustomed.     It 
has  been  objected,  that  the   Captain  describes  the 
proceedings  of  the   Sword-fish  from   below,   when, 
from  the  reflection  of  the  surface,  he  could  not  pos- 
sibly see  them.     But,  on  the  contrary,  the  incident 
is  said  to  have  occurred  "close  to  the  vessel;"  and 
any  one  who  has  been  at  6ea  knows  that  in  a  calm, 
by  going  aloft,  you  can  see  to  a  great  depth  in  the 

*  Memoirs  of  Capt.  H.  Crow,  p.  11. 
11  o2 


162  THE   OCEAN. 

water.  The  habit  here  attributed  to  the  Sword-fish 
is  confirmed  by  the  frequency  with  which  ships  are 
struck  with  great  violence,  most  museums  possessing 
fragments  of  the  planking  of  ships  in  which  the 
"sword"  of  this  finny  tyrant  is  imbedded.  It  is 
with  reason  supposed  that  the  dark  and  bulky  hull 
is  by  the  fish  mistaken  for  the  body  of  a  Whale. 
The  only  resource  which  this  gigantic  animal  has 
for  getting  rid  of  his  troublesome  foes,  is  said  to 
be  by  diving  to  unfathomable  depths,  where  their 
structure  could  not  for  an  instant  sustain  the  enor- 
mous pressure. 

Another  animal  has  been  accused  of  joining  in 
these  assaults,  I  suppose  from  having  been  con- 
founded with  the  Sword-fish.  It  is  the  Narwhal, 
or  Sea  Unicorn  (Monodon  monoceros),  a  very  dif- 
ferent creature ;  in  fact,  being  a  first-cousin  of  the 
Whale  himself.  This  interesting  animal,  the  beauty 
of  the  northern  seas,  must  be  acquitted  of  this 
charge,  being  as  inoffensive  as  his  great  relative. 
It  is  a  very  singular  creature,  formed  in  many  re- 
spects like  the  Whale,  but  much  more  graceful. 
The  colour  is  grey  above,  and  pure  white  beneath, 
the  whole  spotted  or  mottled  with  a  blackish  hue. 
From  the  head  projects  a  long  straight  horn  of  solid 
ivory,  in  the  same  line  as  the  body ;  sometimes,  but 
rarely,  there  are  two.  The  structure  and  origin  of 
this  horn  (which  has  given  much  celebrity  to  this 
handsome  creature)  are  very  peculiar.  It  is,  in  fact, 
the  tooth,  and  the  only  one  it  possesses  in  general; 
the  fellow-tooth,  however,  exists  within  the  bone  of 
the  jaw,   but  undeveloped,  tying  shut  up  like  the 


THE    ARCTIC   SEAS. 


163 


... 


Spearing  the  Narwhal. 

kernel  of  a  nut.  It  is  usually  the  left  tooth  that 
projects.  Considerable  uncertainty  exists  about  the 
use  of  this  long  and  spiral  tusk.  Some  have  sup- 
posed that  it  is  used  to  search  for  food,  by  raking 
in  the  mud  at  the  bottom,  or  to  pierce  thin  ice  at 
the  surface,  to  obtain  access  to  the  air;  but  Mr. 
Scoresby  appears  to  have  thrown  considerable  light 
upon  it,  by  having  met  with  an  individual  in  whose 
stomach,  among  the  remains  of  other  fishes,  was 
found  a  skate,  almost  entire,  which  was  two  feet 
three  inches  long,  and  one  foot  eight  inches  wide. 
"Now  it  appears  remarkable,"  observes  this  gentle- 


Jfi4  THE   OCEAN. 

man,  "  that  the  Narwhal,  an  animal  without  teeth, 
a  small  mouth,  and  with  stiff  lips,  should  be  able 
to  catch  and  swallow  so  large  a  fish  as  a  skate, 
the  breadth  of  which  is  nearly  three  times  as  great 
as  the  width  of  its  own  mouth.  It  seems  probable 
that  the  skates  had  been  pierced  with  the  horn,  and 
killed  before  they  were  devoured;  otherwise  it  is 
difficult  to  imagine  how  the  Narwhal  could  have 
swallowed  them,  or  how  a  fish  of  any  activity  would 
have  permitted  itself  to  be  taken,  and  sucked  down 
the  throat  of  a  smooth- mouthed  animal,  without 
teeth  to  detain  and  compress  it." 

We  know  but  little  of  the  true  fishes  that  inhabit 
th.j  Arctic  Seas.  It  appears,  however,  that  many  of  the 
more  important  of  those  which  are  common  with  us, 
are  common  also  there;  not  the  subjects  of  an  annual 
migration,  but  widely  distributed  at  all  times.  On 
the  authority  of  a  French  naval  officer,  it  would  even 
seem  that  some  species  at  least  may  undergo  a  sort 
of  torpidity.  "  Admiral  Pleville  Lepley,  who  had 
had  his  home  on  the  ocean  for  half  a  century,  as- 
sured M.  Lacepede  that  in  Greenland,  in  the  smaller 
bays  surrounded  with  rock,  so  common  on  this  coast, 
where  the  water  is  always  calm,  and  the  bottom 
generally  soft  mud  and  juice,  he  had  seen  in  the 
beginning  of  spring  myriads  of  Mackerel,  with  their 
heads  sunk  some  inches  in  the  mud,  their  tails  ele- 
vated vertically  above  its  level ;  and  that  the  mass 
of  fish  was  such,  that  at  a  distance  it  might  be  taken 
for  a  reef  of  rocks.  The  Admiral  supposed  thai  the 
Mackerel  had  passed  the  winter  torpid,  under  th»v  ice 
and  snow,  and  added  that,  for  fifteen  or  twenty  days 


THE  ARCTIC    SEAS.  165 

after  their  arrival,  these  fishes  were  affected  with  a 
kind  of  blindness,  and  that  then  many  were  taken 
with  the  net ;  but  as  they  recovered  their  sight  the 
nets  would  not  answer,  and  hooks  and  lines  were 
used."*  In  illustration  of  the  great  depth  to  which 
the  eye  can  penetrate  in  these  seas,  from  the  trans- 
'parency  of  the  water,  Captain  Wood,  who  visited 
Spitzbergen  in  1676,  observed  that,  at  the  depth,  of 
four  hundred  and  eighty  feet,  the  shells  on  the  bot- 
tom were  distinctly  visible. 

The  minute  animals  which  constitute  the  food 
of  the  Whales,  form  a  very  interesting  subject  of 
contemplation.  If  any  of  my  young  readers  have 
ever  been  upon  the  sea,  though  only  in  a  boat,  a 
few  miles  from  the  shore,  they  cannot  fail  to  have 
observed  floating  in  the  water  some  round  masses  of 
transparent  substance,  like  clear  jelly,  which  alter- 
nately contract  and  dilate  their  bodies,  or  sometimes 
turn  themselves,  as  it  were,  partly  inside  out.  Thev 
are  of  various  sizes,  from  that  of  a  large  plate  to  a 
microscopical  minuteness;  and  some  are  set  with 
rings,  within  each  other,  like  eyes,  and  some  are 
curiously  fringed  at  the  edge.  These  Medusce,  or 
Sea-blubbers,  as  they  are  familiarly  called,  form  a 
considerable  portion  of  the  Whale's  food,  many 
species  of  them  being  abundant  in  its  haunts.  An- 
other little  animal  occurs  there  in  immense  hosts,  the 
Clio  horealis,  which  bears  some  slight  resemblance 
to  a  butterfly  just  emerged  from  the  chrysalis,  before 
the  wings  are  expanded.  Near  the  head  there  is 
on  each  side  a  large  fin  or  wing,  by  the  motions  of 

*  Edin.  Journal  of  Science. 


166 


THE    OCEAN. 


which    it    changes    its    place      These    ^otions    are 
amusing;  and  as  the  little  creatures  are  so  abundant, 


Food  of  the  Whale: 
1,  Limacina  helicinaj  2,  3,  4,  Meditate;  5,  Clio  borc«!is. 

they  make  the  dreary  sea  quite  alive  with  their  gam- 
bols as  they  dance  merrily  along.  In  swimming,  the 
Clio  brings  the  tips  of  its  fins  almost  into  contact, 
first  on  one  side,  then  on  the  other :  in  calm  weather 
they  rise  to  the  surface  in  myriads,  for  the  purpose  of 
breathing  but  scarcely  have  they  reached  it  before 
they  «igv?in  descend  into  the  deep.  Mr.  Scoresby 
kept  several  of  them  alive  in  a  glass  of  sea- water  for 
about  a  month,  when  they  gradually  wasted  away 
and  died,  The  head  of  one  of  these  little  creatures 
exhibits  a  most  astonishing  display  of  the  wisdom  of 
God  in  creation.  Around  the  mouth  are  placed  six 
tentacles,  each  of  which  is  covered  with  about  three 
thousand  red  specks,  which  are  seen  by  the  micro- 
scope to  be  transparent  cylinders,  each  containing 
about  twenty  little  suckers,  capable  of  being  thrust 
out,  and  adapted  for  seizing  and  holding  their  minute 
pre}-.     "Thus,  therefore,  there  will  be  three  hundred 


THE    ARCTIC   SEAS.  \tf 

and  sixty  thousand  of  these  microscopic  suckers 
upon  the  head  of  one  Clio;  an  apparatus  for  pre- 
.hension  perhaps  unequalled  in  the  creation." 

Numerous  as  are  the  hosts  of  these  frolicsome 
little  beings,  there  are,  however,  others  which  vastly 
exceed  them  in  number;  which  pass,  indeed,  beyond 
the  possibility  of  human  computation.  Navigators 
had  often  noticed,  in  certain  parts  of  the  Arctic  Sea, 
that  the  water,  instead  of  retaining  its  usual  trans- 
parency, was  densely  opaque,  and  that  its  hue  was 
grass-green,  or  sometimes  olive-green.  It  is  com- 
monly known  as  the  "green- water,"  and  though 
liable  to  slight  shiftings  from  the  force  of  currents,  is 
pretty  constant  in  its  position,  occupying  about  one- 
fourth  of  the  whole  Greenland  sea.  Mr.  Scoresby 
was  the  first  who  ascertained  the  cause  of  this  pecu- 
liar hue:  on  examination  he  found  that  the  water 
was  densely  filled  with  very  minute  Medusae,  for  the 
most  part  undistinguishable  without  a  microscope. 
He  computes  that  within  the  compass  of  two  square 
miles,  supposing  these  animalcules  to  extend  to  the 
depth  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  fathoms,  there  would 
be  congregated  a  number  which  eighty  thousand 
persons,  counting  incessantly  from  the  Creation  un- 
til now,  would  not  have  enumerated,  though  they 
worked  at  the  rate  of  a  million  per  week!  And 
when  we  consider  that  the  area  occupied  by  this 
green  water  in  the  Greenland  seas  is  not  less  than 
twenty  thousand  square  miles,  what  a  vast  idea  does 
it  give  us  of' the  profusion  of  animal  life,  and  of  the 
beneficence  of  Him  who  "openeth  His  hand,  and 
eatisfieth  the  desire  of  every  living  thing!" 


168  THE    OCEAN. 

Several  species  of  minute  Crabs  and  Shrimps 
occur  also  in  great  numbers,  and  constitute  no  small 
portion  of  the  food  of  the  Whale.  One  little  crea- 
ture, in  particular  {Cancer  nugax),  was  found  to 
swarm  even  beneath  the  ice,  in  the  temporary  so- 
journ of  the  discovery  expeditions  in  winter  quar- 
ters. The  men  had  often  noticed  the  shrinking  of 
their  salt  meat  which  had  been  put  to  soak;  and 
a  goose  that  had  been  frozen,  on  being  immersed  to 
thaw,  was,  in  the  lapse  of  forty-eight  hours,  reduced 
to  a  perfect  skeleton.  The  officers  afterwards  availed 
themselves  of  the  services  of  these  industrious  little 
anatomists,  to  obtain  cleaned  skeletons  of  such  small 
animals  as  they  procured,  merely  taking  the  pre- 
caution of  tying  the  specimen  in  a  loose  bag  of 
gauze  or  netting,  for  the  preservation  of  any  of  the 
smaller  bones  that  might  be  separated  by  the  con- 
sumption of  the  ligaments. 


THE    ATLANTIC   OCEAN. 


The  Atlantic  is  much  better  known  to  us  than 
any  other  of  the  great  divisions  of  the  Ocean,  be- 
cause, washing  the  shores  of  the  principal  commerical 
nations,  it  has  been  more  traversed  and  explored. 
Its  edges,  on  each  side,  are,  in  a  greater  degree  than 
those  of  any  other,  hollowed  into  bays  and  harbours, 
and  it  is  connected  with  the  chief  inland  seas,  such 
as  the  Baltic,  Mediterranean,  and  Black  Seas,  on  the 
one  hand,  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  the  Bays, 
or,  rather  Seas,  of  Hudson  and  Baffin,  on  the  other. 
If,  then,  the  importance  of  an  Ocean  is  estimated  by 
the  length  of  the  line  of  coast  which  borders  it,  the 
Atlantic  takes  precedency  of  all,  exceeding  even  the 
Pacific  in  this  respect,  in  the  proportion  of  about 
four  to  three.  It  is  remarkable,  that  it  is  the  north- 
ern half  which  has  so  winding  a  coast,  and  to  which, 
also,  are  confined  the  inland  seas :  and  it  is  this  part 
that  is  bordered  with  nations  celebrated  for  naviga- 
tion and  commerce,  the  maritime  nations  of  Europe 
and  the  United  States.  Unlike  the  Pacific,  whose 
vast  solitudes  are  rarely  broken  by  the  presence  of 
a  ship,  the  Atlantic  is  continually  ploughed  by  the 
keels,  and  spangled  with  the  banners,  of  powerful 
empires,  conveying  from  shore  to  shore  those  diver- 
sified   commodities,    the    interchange   of    which   so 

P  (160) 


170  THE    OCEAN. 

greatly  promotes  peace  and  good-will,  and  is,  there- 
lore,  fraught  with  blessings  to  mankind. 

Leaving  behind  us  the  inhospitable  waters  of  the 
north,  let  us  take  an  imaginary  voyage  through  this 
important  and  interesting  portion  of  the  great  deep, 
still  having  an  open  eye  to  mark  the  footsteps  of 
Him  whose  "way  is  in  the  sea,  and  His  path  in  the 
great  waters."  The  north  breeze  blows  cheerily, 
though  coldly,  and  the  sun,  daily  attaining  a  more 
elevated  position  at  noon,  while  the  pole-star  nightly 
approaches  the  horizon,  tells  us  of  our  rapid  progress 
southward.  By  and  by,  the  shout  of  "Land  ho  T 
directs  our  attention  to  the  horizon,  where,  with 
straining  eyes,  we  dimly  discern  what  appears  to  be 
a  faint  mass  of  cloud,  of  so  evanescent  a  hue,  that 
a  landsman  looks  long  in  the  direction  of  the  sea- 
man's finger,  and  yet  continues  dubious  whether 
anything  is  really  visible  or  not.  Now  he  says  con- 
fidently, "  Ha !  I  caught  a  glance  of  it  then :"  but 
presently  it  turns  out  that  his  eye  has  been  directed 
to  a  point  quite  wide  of  the  indicated  locality  ;  and 
again  he  slowly  but  vainly  sweeps  the  horizon  with 
his  eye,  in  search  of  what  the  practised  vision  of  the 
mariner  detects  and  recognises  at  a  glance.  Mean- 
while, the  ship  rushes  on  before  the  cheerful  breeze; 
we  go  down  to  breakfast;  and  on  again  coming  on 
deck,  there  no  longer  remains  any  doubt;  there  lies 
the  land  on  the  lee  bow,  high  and  blue,  and  pal- 
pable. It  is  one  of  the  Azores;  and  as  we  draw 
nearer,  we  discern  and  admire  the  picturesque  beau- 
tics  by  which  they  are  distinguished.  The  lofty 
cliffs  of  varying  hues  rear  their  bold  heads  perpen- 


THE   ATLANTIC    OCEAN.  17 1 

dicularly  from  the  foaming  waves,  cut  and  seamed 
into  dark  chasms  and  ravines,  through  which  rocky 
torrents  find  a  noisy  course,  while  here  and  there 
a  little  stream  is  poured  over  the  very  summit  of  the 
precipice,  the  cascade  descending  in  a  white  narrow 
line,  conspicuous  against  the  dark  rock  behind,  until 
the  wind  carries  it  away  in  feathery  spray,  long  be- 
fore it  reaches  the  bottom.  The  sunlight  throws 
the  prominences  and  cavities  of  the  cliffs  into  broad 
masses  of  light  and  shadow,  which,  ever  changing 
as  the  ship  rapidly  alters  her  position,  give  a  magic 
character  to  the  scene.  Here  and  there,  on  the 
sides  of  the  hills  farther  inland,  the  lawns  and  fields 
of  lively  green,  speckled  with  white  villas  and  ham- 
lets, and  relieved  by  the  rich  verdure  of  the  orange- 
groves,  present  a  softer  but  not  less  pleasing  pros- 
pect. Other  islands  of  this  interesting  group  gradu- 
ally rise  from  the  horizon,  all  of  similar  character, 
but  diverse  in  appearance  from  their  various  dis- 
tance; some  showing  out  in  palpable  distinctness, 
and  others  seen  only  in  shadowy  outline.  But  there 
is  one  which,  from  the  singularity  of  its  shape,  arrests 
the  attention.  A  mountain,  of  a  very  regularly 
conical  form,  seems  to  rise  abruptly  from  the  sea, 
with  remarkable  steepness,  verdant  almost  to  the 
summit;  it  is  almost  like  a  sugar-loaf,  with  a  rounded 
top,  crowned  by  a  nipple-like  prominence,  which  is 
often  veiled  by  clouds.  It  is  the  Peak  of  Pico, 
seven  thousand  feet  in  height,  second  in  celebrity, 
as  in  elevation,  only  to  the  Peak  of  Teneriffe.  A 
recent  visitor  has  thus  described  the  picturesque 
beauty  of  this  oceanic  mountain  : — "  The  hoary  head 


172 


THE    OCEAN. 


Pico. 


of  Pico  presents  a  great  variety  of  beauty.  One 
afternoon  it  was  lightly  powdered  with  snow,  so  as 
to  give  it  a  tint  of  sober  olive ;  with  a  larger  quan- 
tity of  frost  or  snow,  and  stronger  and  more  direct 
sunshine,  it  has  looked  like  dead  silver;  at  another 
time  it  was  tipped  with  fire ;  at  another  it  was  pavi- 
lioned in  flame-coloured  clouds ; — a  few  light  mists 
would  shut  it  entirely  out,  or,  where  transparent, 
give  to  it  a  wan  and  visionary  hue ;  and  in  the  even- 
ing, when  the  clouds  put  on  a  gayer  livery,  becoming 
rose-coloured,  or  purple,  or  bronzed,  the  changes  and 
flushes  would  almost  remind  you  of  the  variable 
colours  on  a  pigeon's  neck ;  or,  as  a  poet  has  said, 

'Of  hues  that  blush  and  glow 

Like  angels'  wings.'  "  : 


*  Bullar's  Azores,  i.  308. 


THE    ATLANTIC    OCEAN.  173 

Some  curious  traditions  are  found  in  the  writings 
of  the  ancients  respecting  an  island  of  very  large  size, 
believed  to  have  once  existed  in  the  Atlantic.  Plato, 
in  the  Timseus,  gives  the  fullest  account  of  this 
island,  which  was  called  Atlantis.  It  is  stated  to  have 
been  nearly  two  hundred  miles  in  length,  situated 
opposite  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar.  It  was  fertile  and 
populous,  and  some  of  the  warlike  chiefs  among 
whom  it  was  divided,  are  said  to  have  made  irrup- 
tions upon  the  continent,  and  to  have  conquered  a 
considerable  part  of  Europe  and  Northern  Africa. 
Several  other  islands  are  described  as  situated  in  the 
vicinity  of  Atlantis,  beyond  which  lay  a  continent 
superior  in  size  to  all  Europe  and  Africa.  At  length, 
the  whole  island  is  reported  to  have  been  swallowed 
up  by  the  sea ;  after  which,  for  a  long  period,  that 
part  of  the  Ocean  was  of  difficult  and  dangerous  navi- 
gation, on  account  of  the  numerous  rocks  and  shelves 
which  lay  beneath  the  surface.  There  are  many  cir- 
cumstances which  render  it  improbable  that  this 
story,  marvellous  as  it  is,  is  entirely  a  fiction.  It 
has  been  supposed  that  the  great  island  was  Cuba, 
the  surrounding  ones  the  other  West  Indies,  and  the 
great  continent  America ;  and  that  the  cessation  of 
intercourse  with  these  regions,  through  the  decay  of 
naval  enterprise,  gave  rise  to  the  tradition  that  the 
island  itself  had  disappeared.  But  this  would  not 
explain  the  matter-of-fact  statement  of  the  rocky 
shallows  after  the  catastrophe ;  nor  would  the  dis- 
tance of  Cuba  from  Europe  permit  martial  invasions 
of  this  continent  to  be  readily  made  from  it.  Others 
have  concluded — and  this  does  not  seem  to  my  own 

r2 


174  THE   OCEAN. 

mind  inconsistent  with  probability — that  the  state- 
ments of  the  ancients  may  be  literally  true ;  that 
by  the  action  of  an  earthquake,  of  which  we  have 
had  instances  in  modern  times,  the  island  may  have 
been  submerged,  and  that  the  Azores  are  the  sum- 
mits of  the  highest  mountains.  It  seems  somewhat 
to  confirm  this  opinion,  that  these  islands  are  evi- 
dently volcanic  in  their  origin,  and  are  very  sub- 
ject to  earthquakes, — nay,  the  very  phenomenon  of 
islands  swallowed  up  by  the  sea  has  repeatedly  oc- 
curred here  within  historical  record.  It  is  true,  that 
in  these  instances  the  island  itself  was  small,  and 
had  been  but  recently  raised  by  volcanic  action ; 
but  it  does  not  seem  necessary  that  in  similar  cases 
there  should  be  an  exact  parallelism,  either  in  size 
or  duration.  The  last  of  these  occurrences  was  so 
remarkable  on  other  accounts  as  to  be  well  worthy  of 
a  detailed  description,  which  is  given  by  an  eye-wit- 
ness, Captain  Tillard,  an  officer  of  the  British  navy : 
"Approaching  the  island  of  St.  Michael's,  on  the 
12th  June,  1811,  we  occasionally  observed,  rising  in 
the  horizon,  two  or  three  columns  of  smoke,  such 
as  would  have  been  occasioned  by  an  action  between 
two  ships,  to  which  cause  we  universally  attributed 
its  origin.  This  opinion  was,  however,  in  a  very 
short  time  changed,  from  the  smoke  increasing  and 
ascending  in  much  larger  bodies  than  could  possibly 
have  been  produced  by  such  an  event ;  and  having 
heard  an  account,  prior  to  our  sailing  from  Lisbon, 
that  in  the  preceding  January  or  February  a  volcano 
had  burst  out  within  the  sea  near  St.  Michael's,  we 
immediately  concluded  that  the  smoke  we  saw  pro- 


THE   ATLANTIC   OCEAN.  1^5 

ceeded  from  that  cause,  and  on  our  anchoring  the 
next  morning  in  the  road  of  Ponta  del  Gada,  we 
found  this  conjecture  correct  as  to  the  cause,  but 
not  as  to  the  time;  the  eruption  of  January  having 
totally  subsided,  and  the  present  one  having  only 
burst  forth  two  days  prior  to  our  approach,  and 
about  three  miles  distant  from  the  one  before  al- 
luded to." 

The  Captain  having  proceeded  to  a  cliff  on  the 
island  of  St.  Michael's,  about  three  or  four  hundred 
feet  high,  from  which  the  eruption  was  scarcely  a 
mile  distant,  proceeds  to  describe  its  appearance : 
"Imagine  an  immense  body  of  smoke  rising  from 
the  sea,  the  surface  of  which  was  marked  by  the 
silvery  rippling  of  the  waves.  In  a  quiescent  state, 
it  had  the  appearance  of  a  circular  cloud  revolving 
on  the  water,  like  a  horizontal  wheel,  in  various  and 
irregular  involutions,  expanding  itself  gradually  on 
the  lee  side;  when  suddenly,  a  column  of  the 
blackest  cinders,  ashes,  and  stones,  would  shoot  up 
in  the  form  of  a  spire,  at  an  angle  of  from  ten  to 
twenty  degrees  from  a  perpendicular  line,  the  angle 
of  inclination  being  universally  to  windward;  this 
was  rapidly  succeeded  by  a  second,  third,  and  fourth 
shower,  each  acquiring  greater  velocity,  and  over- 
topping the  other,  till  they  had  attained  an  altitude 
as  much  above  the  level  of  our  eye  as  the  sea  was 
below  it. 

"As  the  impetus  with  which  the  several  columns 
were  severally  propelled  diminished,  and  their  as- 
cending motion  had  nearly  ceased,  they  broke  into 
various  branches  resembling  a  group  of  pines :  these 


176 


THE   OCEAN. 


Submarine   Volcano. 


again  forming  themselves  into  festoons  of  white  fea- 
thery smoke,  in  the  most  fanciful  manner  imaginable, 
intermixed  with  the  finest  particles  of  falling  ashes, 
which  at  one  time  assumed  the  appearance  of  innu- 
merable plumes  of  black  and  white  ostrich  feathers 
surmounting  each  other;  at  another,  that  of  the 
light  wavy  branches  of  a  weeping  willow. 

"During  these  bursts,  the  most  vivid  flashes  of 
lightning  continually  issued  from  the  densest  part  of 
the  volcano ;  and  the  cloud  of  smoke  now  ascend- 
ing to  an  altitude  much  above  the  highest  point  to 
which  the  ashes  were  projected,  rolled  off  in  large 
masses  of  fleecy  clouds,  gradually  expanding  them- 
selves beibn    the   wind   in   a   direction    nearly   hori- 


THE    ATLANTIC    OCEAN.  Iff 

zontal,  and  drawing  up  to  them  a  quantity  of  water- 
spouts, which  formed  a  most  beautiful  and  striking 
addition  to  the  general  appearance  of  the  scene." 

In  the  course  of  a  few  hours,  a  crater  had  been 
thrown  up  by  these  eruptions,  to  the  height  of 
twenty  feet  above  the  sea,  and  apparently  three  or 
four  hundred  feet  in  diameter.  Repeated  shocks  of 
an  earthquake  accompanied  the  explosion.  The 
narrator  was  obliged  to  leave  the  neighbourhood 
on  the  succeeding  day,  at  which  time  the  volcanic 
eruption  was  seen  from  a  distance  to  be  still  raging 
with  undiminished  fury.  About  three  weeks  after- 
wards he  returned  to  the  spot,  and  found  all  quiet, 
but  the  newly-formed  island  had  increased  to  a  mile 
in  circumference,  and  the  highest  part  appeared  to 
have  an  elevation  of  about  two  hundred  and  forty 
feet.  On  landing,  he  found  the  place  still  smoking, 
and  the  larger  crater  nearly  full  of  water  in  a  boiling 
state,  which  was  being  discharged  into  the  Ocean  by 
a  stream  about  six  yards  across :  this  stream,  close  to 
the  edge  of  the  sea,  was  so  hot,  as  barely  to  admit 
the  momentary  immersion  of  the  finger.*  On  the 
11th  of  October,  in  the  same  year,  this  island  sank 
beneath  the  Ocean  from  which  it  had  emerged, 
leaving  a  dangerous  shoal  in  the  neighbourhood, 
thus  realizing  the  traditionary  fate  of  the  island  of 
Atlantis. 

But  let  us  pursue  our  voyage.  As  we  follow  the 
setting  sun  to  his  bed  among  the  Indian  islands  of 
the  west,  the  tedium  of  our  way  across  the  trackless 

•  Trans.  Roy.  Soc.  1812. 
12 


178  THE    OCEAN. 

waste  is  enlivened  by  those  cheerful  little  birds,  the 
Petrels  (Procellaria  pelagica),  the  constant  com- 
panions of  the  sailor,  by  whom  they  are  familiarly 
named  Mother  Carey's  chickens.  They  are  pecu- 
liarly Oeean-birds :  rarely  approaching  the  shore, 
except  when  they  seek  gloomy  and  inaccessible  rocks 
for  the  purpose  of  breeding ;  they  are  never  seen  but 
in  association  with  the  boundless  waste  of  waters. 
Scarcely  larger  than  the  swallow  that  darts  through 
our  streets,  one  wouders  that  so  frail  a  little  bird 
should  brave  the  fury  of  the  tempest;  but  when  the 
masts  are  cracking,  and  the  cordage  shrieking  fit- 
fully in  the  fierce  blast,  and  when  the  sea  is  leaping 
up  into  mountainous  waves,  whose  foaming  crests 
are  torn  off  in  invisible  mist  before  the  violence  of 
the  gale,  the  little  Petrel  flits  hither  and  thither, 
now  treading  the  brow  of  the  watery  hill,  now 
sweeping  through  the  valley,  piping  its  singular  note 
with  as  much  glee  as  if  it  were  the  very  spirit  of  the 
storm,  which  the  superstitious  mariner,  indeed,  attri- 
butes to  its  evil  agency.  Flocks  of  these  little  birds, 
more  or  less  numerous,  accompany  ships,  often  for 
many  days  successively,  not,  as  has  been  asserted, 
to  seek  a  refuge  from  the  storm  in  their  shelter, 
but  to  feed  on  the  greasy  particles  which  the  cook 
now  and  then  throws  overboard,  or  the  floating  sub- 
stances which  the  vessel's  motion  brings  to  the  sur- 
face. It  is  a  pleasing  sight  to  see  them  crowd  up 
close  under  the  stern  with  confiding  fearlessness, 
their  sooty  wings  horizontally  extended,  and  their 
tiny  web-feet  put  down  to  feel  the  water,  while  they 
pick  up  with  their  beaks  the  minute  atoms  of  food 


THE    ATLANTIC    OCEAN,  179 

of  which  they  are  in  search.  I  have  been  surprised 
to  notice  how  very  quickly  a  flock  will  collect, 
though  a  few  moments  before  scarcely  one  could 
be  seen  in  any  direction;  and  again  they  disperse 
as  speedily.  They  seem  to  have  the  power  of  dis- 
pensing Avitli  sleep,  at  least  for  very  long  intervals. 
Wilson,  one  of  the  most  accurate  of  observers,  has 
recorded  a  fact  illustrative  of  this :  "  In  firing  at 
these  birds,  a  quill-feather  was  broken  in  each  wing 
of  an  individual,  and  hung  fluttering  in  the  wind, 
which  rendered  it  so  conspicuous  among  the  rest,  as 
to  be  known  to  all  on  board.  This  bird,  notwith- 
standing its  inconvenience,  continued  with  us  for 
nearly  a  iveek,  during  which  we  sailed  a  distance 
of  more  than  four  hundred  miles  to  the  north."  Of 
course,  if  this  individual  had  gone  to  sleep,  the 
vessel  would  have  sailed  away,  and  we  can  hardly 
imagine  that  it  would  have  again  found  her  in  her" 
pathless  course.  I  do  not  believe  they  have  ever 
been  known  to  alight  on  the  rigging  or  deck  of  » 
ship. 

It  is  a  pity  that  so  interesting  a  little  creature 
as  this  should  become  the  object  of  a  degrading 
and  meaningless  superstition.  The  persuasion  that 
they  are  in  some  mj^sterious  manner  connected  with 
the  creation  of  storms,  is  so  prevalent  among  sea- 
men, as  to  render  them,  innocent  and  confiding  as 
they  are,  objects  of  general  dislike,  and  often  even 
of  hatred.  I  once  made  a  voyage  with  a  captain, 
who,  though  a  man  of  much  intelligence,  was  not, 
proof  against  this  absurd  superstition,  venting  hearty 
execrations  against  these  "devil's  imps,"  as  he  called 


180  THE    OCEAX. 

them,  in  every  gale,  as  if  they  had  been  the  mali- 
cious authors  of  it.  If  this  unoffending  little  bird 
does  afford  any  indication  of  a  coming  storm,  dis- 
covered by  its  more  acute  perceptions,  which,  never- 
theless, I  very  much  doubt,  why  should  not  those 
who  navigate  the  Ocean,  receive  its  warning  with 
gratitude,  and  make  preparations  for  security,  instead 
of  following  it  with  profane  and  impotent  curses? 
"  As  well  might  they  curse  the  midnight  lighthouse 
that,  star-like,  guides  them  on  their  watery  way,  or 
the  buoy  that  warns  them  of  the  sunken  rocks  below, 
as  this  harmless  wanderer,  whose  manner  informs 
them  of  the  approach  of  the  storm,  and  thereby 
enables  them  to  prepare  for  it." 

A  frequent  relief  to  the  tedium  of  a  long  voyage 
is  found  in  the  shoals  of  playful  Dolphins  {Del- 
phinus  delphis,  dr.)  which  so  often  perform  their 
amusing  gambols  around  us.  They  may  be  discerned 
at  a  great  distance ;  as  they  are  continually  leaping 
from  the  surface  of  the  sea,  an  action  which,  as  it 
seems  to  have  no  obvious  object,  is  probably  the 
mere  exuberance  of  animal  mirth.  When  a  shoal  is 
seen  thus  frolicing  at  the  distance  of  a  mile  or  two, 
in  a  few  moments,  having  caught  sight  of  the  ship, 
down  they  come  trooping  with  the  velocity  of  the 
wind,  impelled  by  curiosity  to  discover  what  being 
of  monstrous  bulk  thus  invades  their  domain.  When 
arrived,  they  display  their  agility  in  a  thousand 
graceful  motions,  now  leaping  with  curved  bodies 
many  feet  into  the  air,  then  darting  through  a  wave 
with  incredible  velocity,  leaving  a  slender  wake  of 
whitening  foam  under  the  water;   now  the  thin  back- 


THE    ATLANTIC    OCEAN.  1§1 

fin  only  is  exposed,  cutting  the  surface  like  a  knife; 
then  the  broad  and  muscular  tail  is  elevated  as  the 
animal  plunges  perpendicularly  down  into  the  depth, 
or  dives  beneath  the  keel  to  explore  the  opposite 
side.  So  smooth  are  their  bodies,  that  their  gam- 
bols are  performed  with  surprisingly  little  disturbance 
of  the  water,  and  even  when  descending  from  their 
agile  somersets  they  make  scarcely  any  splash.  The 
colour  of  the  upper  parts  of  their  bodies  is  of  a  deep 
black,  but  by  a  deception  of  the  sight,  caused,  pro- 
bably, by  the  swiftness  of  their  motions,  and  by  the 
gleaming  of  the  light  from  their  wet  and  glittering 
skin,  they  appear  in  the  air  and  under  water  of  a 
light-greenish  grey.  After  having  taken  a  few  rapid 
turns  under  and  around  the  vessel,  the  whole  shoal, 
consisting  of  a  dozen  or  two,  usually  congregate 
immediately  beneath  the  bowsprit,  where  they  re- 
main sometimes  for  hours,  romping  and  rolling  about 
as  if  the  ship  were  perfectly  stationary,  instead  of 
spanking  along  at  the  rate  of  seven  or  eight  knots 
an  hour,  apparently  making  no  effort  to  go  ahead, 
and  yet  keeping  their  relative  position  with  admir- 
able dexterity  and  precision.  But  they  are  allowed 
to  remain  so  long  undisturbed  only  when  the  duties 
of  the  ship  demand  the  attention  of  the  hands:  for 
if  there  be  a  few  moments  of  leisure,  the  presence 
of  a  shoal  of  Dolphins  is  too  tempting  to  pass  un- 
heeded. Some  one  of  the  crew  reputed  to  be  skil- 
ful in  wielding  the  harpoon,  in  small  vessels  often 
the  captain  himself,  goes  forward,  and  having  taken 
his  station  upon  the  bowsprit-heel,  or  upon  one  of 
the  cat-heads,  poises  his  implement  of  war,  and  waits 

Q 


X82  THE    OCEAN. 

a  favourable  moment  of  attack.  Now  the  bows  are 
thronged  with  anxious  faces;  the  usual  discipline 
of  the  ship  is  relaxed  on  such  occasions;  even  the 
sooty  cook  leaves  his  caboose,  and  with  the  dirty 
cabin-boy  endeavours  to  witness  the  interesting  per- 
formance. All  are  there  but  the  man  at  the  wheel, 
and  even  he  stands  on  tip-toe  to  catch  a  glimpse 
of  what  is  going  on,  and  neglecting  his  helm,  "yaws" 
the  ship  about  sadly.  The  unsuspecting  visitors 
continue  their  romps:  presently  one  comes  within 
aim,  pretty  near  the  surface;  the  dart  is  thrown,  and 
if  the  trembling  anxiety  of  the  harpooner  have  not 
marred  his  skill,  strikes  its  object:  I  have  known 
it,  however,  take  effect  obliquely  on  the  side,  cutting 
deeply  into  the  flesh,  but  retaining  no  hold;  in  which 
case  the  poor  wounded  creature,  with  its  bowels  ex- 
posed and  protruding,  instantly  shoots  away,  accom- 
panied by  all  its  fellows,  not,  however,  to  sympathize 
with  it,  or  afford  it  any  assistance,  but,  if  the  sailors 
may  be  believed,  to  fall  upon  and  devour  it.  But 
Ave  will  suppose  that  the  barbed  weapon  has  trans- 
fixed the  animal  in  the  back,  and,  piercing  through 
the  superficial  coat  of  fat,  has  lodged  deep  in  the 
solid  flesh.  The  Dolphin  plunges  convulsively:  the 
whole  herd  are  gone  like  a  thought,  leaving  their 
unhappy  comrade  to  his  fate:  the  stout  line  stretches 
witli  the  force,  but  brings  him  up  with  a  jerk;  the 
barbs  are  beneath  the  tough  muscles,  and  resist  all 
his  endeavours  for  freedom:  a  dozen  eager  hands 
are  thrust  forth  to  grasp  the  line  and  haul  him  to 
tin'  surface.  The  struggles  of  the  desperate  crea- 
ture are  now  tremendous:    the  water  all  around  is 


THE   ATLANTIC   OCEAN.  Ig3 

lashed  into  boiling  foam,  reddened  with  the  life-blood 
that  is  fast  ebbing  from  his  wound.  Two  or  three 
of  the  most  agile  now  jump  into  the  fore-chains, 
with  the  end  of  a  rope  formed  into  a  running  noose; 
they  hang  this  down  into  the  water,  and  endeavour 
to  get  the  bight  over  his  tail;  many  trials  are  un- 
successfully made  to  do  this,  for  the  frantic  motions 
of  the  animal  render  it  a  very  difficult  operation;  at 
length,  however,  it  is  drawn  over,  tightened,  and  the 
prey  is  considered  secure.  It  is  now  comparatively 
easy,  with  the  aid  of  a  boat-hook,  to  pass  another 
rope  under  the  body,  just  behind  the  breast-fins,  and 
then  he  is  soon  hoisted  on  deck.  I  have  been  asto- 
nished to  observe  how  very  inadequate  is  the  notion 
one  forms  of  the  dimensions  of  these  animals  by  see- 
ing them  only  in  the  water;  an  individual  that  mea- 
sures eight  feet  in  length,  appearing  in  water  not 
more  than  four  or  five.  The  muscular  power  is  very 
great,  but  is  chiefly  concentrated  in  the  tail,  and, 
therefore,  when  the  animal  is  removed  from  its  na- 
tive element,  it  is  almost  helpless,  its  exertions  being 
confined  to  the  violent  blows  which  it  inflicts  upon 
the  deck  with  this  broad  and  powerful  organ.  In 
all  essential  particulars,  the  Dolphin  agrees  with  the 
Whale  already  described,  being  of  the  same  order; 
but  it  differs  in  having  an  upright  fin  on  the  back, 
and  both  the  upper  and  lower  jaws  armed  with  nume- 
rous small,  close,  and  pointed  teeth.  In  one  speci- 
men which  I  saw  captured,  I  counted  one  hundred 
and  fifty-two  in  all;  they  are  beautifully  regular, 
and  those  of  one  jaw  fit  into  the  interstices  of  the 
other.     The  Dolphin  differs  from  the  Porpesse  (Pho- 


Ig^  THE    OCEAN. 

ax.no)  by  having  the  jaws  lengthened  out  into  a  long 
and  slender  beak,  almost  like  that  of  some  bird :  in 
other  respects,  there  is  little  difference  between  the 
Porpesse  and  the  Dolphin.  Both  are  very  voracious, 
pursuing  any  prey  they  can  master:  in  the  stomach 
of  one  taken  in  the  Atlantic,  I  found  a  number  of 
the  beaks  of  Catties  {Sepiadce).  A  century  or  two 
ago,  the  flesh  of  this  animal  was  esteemed  a  dainty 
worthy  the  attention  of  epicures  in  this  couutry; 
but  now  it  is  relished  only  by  those  whom  the  salt 
provisions  of  a  long  voyage  have  rendered  less  choice 
than  they  would  be  under  other  circumstances.  From 
the  abundance  of  blood,  the  meat  is  very  dark  in 
appearance;  but  to  my  own  taste,  on  one  or  two 
occasions,  with  my  appetite  sharpened  by  the  pri- 
vation just  mentioned,  steaks  cut  from  it  and  fried 
have  seemed  very  savoury  and  agreeable. 

Now  the  long  yellow  strings  of  floating  weed, 
which  lie  in  parallel  lines  pointing  to  the  wind,  or 
the  broader  masses  that  resemble  meadows  parched 
by  protracted  drought,  inform  us  that  we  are  in  that 
mighty  current  of  tepid  water,  the  Gulf-stream.  We 
hasten  to  the  gangway,  and  having  drawn  a  few 
buckets  of  clear  transparent  water,  which  we  deposit 
in  a  tub,  collect  with  a  boat-hook,  a  quantity  of  the 
floating  weed,  and  immerse  it  in  the  tub  of  water 
to  be  examined.  Many  of  the  stems  and  berry- 
like air-vessels  are  coated  with  a  thin  ami  delicate 
tissue  of  shelly  substance  (F lustra),  of  a  greyish 
hue,  like  very  minute  network,  so  delicate  as  not 
at  all  to  disfigure  or  conceal  the  form  of  the  sub- 
stance on  which  it  is  spread.     Attached  to  the  weed 


THE   ATLANTIC   OCEAN.  185 

are  groups  of  little  Barnacles  (Lejxis),  from  the 
size  of  a  pin's  head  to  half  an  inch  in  length.  While 
under  water,  these  are  incessantly  projecting  and  re- 
tracting the  elegant  curled  apparatus  of  cirri  with 
which  they  are  furnished,  resembling  a  plume  of 
feathers;  from  which  resemblance  it  probably  was 
that  the  inhabitants  of  a  species  found  on  the  Scot- 
tish coast  were  asserted  to  be  "of  that  nature  to  be 
finally  by  nature  of  seas  resolved  into  geese."*  The 
purpose  of  this  continual  motion  of  the  fringed  arms 
appears  to  be  twofold;  first,  to  make  a  constant  eddy 
in  the  surrounding  water,  and  thus  bring  minute  ani- 
mals within  reach,  and  then  to  enclose  such  as  are 
brought  in  as  by  the  cast  of  a  net,  and  convey  them 
to  the  mouth.  Crawling  on  the  surface  of  the  weed 
we  may  now  and  then  find  a  nimble  little  Crab 
(Lupa),  with  the  shell  on  each  side  projecting  hori- 
zontally into  a  sharp  spine.  We  are  surprised  at 
first  to  find  a  Crab  on  the  surface  of  the  Ocean,  as 
the  species  with  which  we  are  familiar  have  not  the 
power  of  swimming.  On  endeavouring  to  procure 
one  for  examination,  however,  we  no  sooner  touch 
the  fragment  of  the  weed  with  the  boat-hook,  than  the 
watchful  little  Crab  hurries  off  into  the  water,  and 
swims  rapidly  away  out  of  reach.  If  we  be  for- 
tunate enough  to  secure  one  by  skilful  manoeuvring 
with  the  bucket  or  dip-net,  we  shall  discover  a 
peculiar  structure,  by  means  of  which  these  Ocean- 
crabs  are  endowed  with  the  faculty  of  swimming. 
In  the  common  Crab,  all  the  feet,  except  the  claws, 
terminate  in  a  sharp  point,  but  in  the  present  genus 

*  Boece,  Cosmography  of  Albioun.     Edin.  about  1541. 
Q2 


186  THE   OCEAN. 

the  hindmost  pair  have  the  last  joint  flattened  out 
into  a  thin  but  broad  oval  plate,  the  edge  of  which 
is  thickly  fringed  with  fine  hairs.  This  structure  is 
exactly  parallel  to  that  by  which  the  foot  of  a  perch- 
ing bird  is  modified  into  the  foot  of  a  swimming 
bird,  the  surface  being  dilated  into  a  broad  web;  or 
to  the  wide  fringe  by  which  the  hind  feet  of  a  water- 
beetle  are  made  such  powerful  oars;  the  flattened 
joint  in  the  present  case  becoming  a  paddle,  by  the 
stroke  of  which  a  rapid  motion  is  obtained  through 
the  water.  These  Swimming  Crabs  are  very  vora- 
cious, preying  upon  the  little  shrimps  that  are  nume- 
rous about  the  weed,  which  they  pursue  and  seize 
with  their  pincers.  Sometimes  the  Crab  remains 
at  rest,  but  vigilant,  until  a  shrimp  swims  within 
reach,  when  he  grasps  it  with  great  quickness,  and 
proceeds  to  devour  it  by  degrees.  In  doing  this, 
he  holds  it  fast  by  one  claw,  while  with  the  other 
he  picks  off  very  daintily  the  legs  and  other  mem- 
bers of  his  prey,  putting  them  bit  by  bit  into  hig 
mouth,  until  nothing  remains  but  the  tail,  which  he 
rejects. 

The  weed  is  usually  the  resort  of  several  small 
species  of  fishes,  which  doubtless  congregate  about 
it  for  the  sake  of  the  minute  Crustacea  that  are  so 
abundant.  Among  them  I  have  found  a  very  in- 
teresting little  species  of  Toad-fish  (Antcnnan'us), 
whose  pectoral  and  ventral  fins  project  so  far  from 
the  surface  of  the  body  as  to  expose  the  joint,  and 
thus  take  the  form  of  the  feet  of  a  quadruped.  It 
usrs  these  members  actually  as  feet,  crawling  and 
pushing  its  way  among  the  tangled  weed  by  means 


THE    ATLANTIC    OCEAN.  187 

of  them.  It  has  even  been  known  to  come  on  shore, 
and  remain  several  days  without  any  communica- 
tion with  the  water.  On  the  head  of  this  fish  there 
are  one  or  two  slender  horns,  furnished  at  the  tip 
with  several  processes  resembling  little  worms.  The 
use  of  these  organs  is  very  remarkable.  The  fish  is 
not  one  of  swift  motion,  and  therefore  cannot  take 
its  prey  by  pursuit:  instead  of  this,  it  usually  con- 
ceals itself  among  the  mud  at  the  bottom,  or  per- 
haps among  the  stalks  of  floating  weed,  while  it 
agitates  its  curious  fleshy  horns ;  their  resemblance 
to  worms  and  their  motion  attract  other  fishes, 
which,  coming  within  reach,  are  seized  by  the  capa- 
cious mouth  of  the  latent  Toad-fish.  The  lower  jaw 
extending  beyond  the  upper,  causes  the  mouth  to 
open  perpendicularly,  and  the  eyes  are  so  situated 
as  to  look  in  the  same  direction,  both  of  which 
arrangements  facilitate  the  capture  of  prey  by  this 
singular  mode.  It  is  not  improbable  that  the  worm- 
like tentacles  attached  to  the  mouth  and  chin  of 
other  fishes,  as  the  Cod  and  Barbie,  for  example, 
answer  an  end  somewhat  similar  to  this. 

In  keeping  small  marine  animals  for  examination, 
we  often  lose  the  specimens  through  the  water  be- 
coming speedily  unfit  for  supporting  animal  life; 
a  minute  Shrimp  or  two,  or  a  fish  of  an  inch  in 
length,  if  confined  in  a  large  basin  of  water,  will 
usually  exhaust  the  oxygen  during  the  night,  and 
be  dead  by  the  morning.  A  little  living  seaweed, 
however,  placed  with  them,  will  prevent,  or,  at  least, 
delay  this,  as  plants  in  a  living  state  give  out  oxygen. 

Every  night  the  pole-star  is  perceptibly  nearer  the 


188  THE    OCEAN. 

horizon,  and  every  day  the  meridian  sun  reaches  to 
a  higher  and  yet  a  higher  point,  until  it  appears  al- 
most vertical.  The  wind  gradually  becomes  lighter, 
until  we  arrive  at  the  "  calm  latitudes,"  where  we 
lie  weeks  without  making  any  progress.  The  cap- 
tain and  crew  whistle  for  wind  with  as  much  per- 
severance as  if  they  had  never  been  disappointed, 
and  every  one  watehes  anxiously  for  the  least  breath- 
ings of  a  breeze.  Nothinsr  can  exceed  the  tantaliz- 
es ~ 

ing  tedium  of  this  condition  ;  the  wearied  eye  gazes 
intently  upon  the  glistening  sea,  and  eagerly  catches 
the  slightest  ruffling  of  the  mirror-like  smoothness, 
in  hopes  that  it  may  be  an  indication  of  wind ;  but 
on  glancing  at  the  feather- vane  upon  the  ship's  quar- 
ter, the  hope  fades  on  perceiving  it  hang  motionless 
from  its  staff.  A  still  more  delicate  test  is  then  re- 
sorted to,  that  of  throwing  a  live  coal  overboard, 
and  marking  if  the  little  cloud  of  white  steam  has 
any  lateral  motion;  but  no!  it  ascends  perpendi- 
cularly till  dispersed  in  the  air.  Now  and  then, 
the  polished  surface  of  the  sea  is  suddenly  changed 
to  a  blue  ripple;  expectation  becomes  strong,  for 
there  is  no  doubt  of  the  reality  of  the  motion;  but 
before  the  sails  can  feel  the  breeze,  it  has  died  away 
again;  the  air  is  as  still,  and  the  sea  as  glassy,  as 
before.  Coleridge  has  well  described  such  a  state  in 
his  "  Ancient  Mariner  :" — 

"The  sun  came  up  upon  tlie  left, 
Out  of  the  sea  came  he  ; 
Anil  ho  shone  bright  and  on  the  right 
Went  down  into  the  sea. 


THE    ATLANTIC    OCEAN.  Igg 

"Down  dropp'd  the  breeze,  the  sails  dropp'd  down; 
'Twas  sad  as  sad  could  be  : 
And  we  did  speak  only  to  break 
The  silence  of  the  sea. 


"  Day  after  day,  day  after  day, 

We  stuck,  nor  breath  nor  motion  ; 
As  idle  as  a  paiuted  ship 
Upon  a  painted  ocean." 

Not  a  cloud  tempers  the  fierce  burning  ra}^s  of 
the  pun,  which  shoot  directly  on  our  heads ;  the  deck 
becomes  scalding  hot  to  the  feet,  the  melting  pitch 
boils  up  from  the  seams,  the  tar  continually  drops 
from  the  rigging,  the  masts  and  booms  display 
gaping  cracks,  and  the  flukes  of  the  anchors  are  too 
hot  to  be  touched  with  impunity.  In  vain,  if  we 
happen  to  be  sailing  in  a  small  vessel,  which  has 
no  awning  on  board  to  spread  over  the  quarter- 
deck, we  seek  for  refuge  beneath  the  sails  which 
hang  lazily  from  the  yards  and  gaffs,  inviting  the 
desired  gales;  for  so  perpendicular  are  the  fiery 
beams  in  the  heat  of  the  day,  that  very  little  shadow 
is  afforded  by  the  sails,  and  even  that  little  is  con- 
stantly shifting  from  the  vessel's  change  of  position 
in  the  swell.  In  such  circumstances,  I  have  in  some 
measure  felt  the  force  of  those  similitudes  in  the 
Sacred  Prophets,  in  which  the  blessings  of  the 
coming  reign  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  after  the 
long  apostacy,  are  likened  to  "the  shadow  of  a 
great  rock  in  a  weary  land."  "Thou  hast  been  a 
shadow  from  the  heat,  when  the  blast  of  the  terrible 
ones  is  as  a  storm  against  the  wall.  Thou  shalt 
bring  down   the  noise  of  strangers,   as  the  heat  in 


190  THE    OCEAN. 

a  dry  place ;    even  the  heat  with  the  shadow  of  a 
cloud."* 

Yet,  though  day  after  day  rolls  on  and  leaves  us 
still  in  the  same  position,  there  are  not  wanting 
many  things  to  beguile  the  weariness  of  the  time. 
The  gorgeous  beauty  of  the  sun's  setting  almost 
makes  amends  for  his  unmitigated  heat  by  day.  As 
his  orb  approaches  the  western  horizon,  the  clouds, 
which  have  been  absent  during  the  day,  begin  to 
form  in  that  quarter  of  the  heavens;  and,  as  he  sinks. 
assume  hues  of  the  richest  purple  edged  with  gold, 
now  hiding  his  disc,  now  allowing  him  to  flash  out 
his  softened  effulgence  through  crimson  openings, 
till  he  falls  beneath  the  massy  mountain -like  bed  of 
cloud  that  seems  to  lie  heavily  upon  the  surface  of 
the  sea.  Then  the  whole  array  begins  to  take  the 
appearance  of  a  lovely  landscape;  the  clouds  forming 
the  land,  while  the  open  sky  represents  calm  water. 
Sometimes  we  seem  to  see  the  long  capes  and  bold 
promontories  of  a  broken  and  picturesque  coast, 
deeply  indented  with  bays  and  creeks,  and  fringed 
with  groups  of  islands;  at  others,  silvery  lakes, 
studded  with  little  wooded  islets,  appear  embosomed 
in  mountains  or  surrounded  by  gentle  slopes,  here 
and  there  clothed  with  umbrageous  woods.  Such 
an  appearance  of  reality  is  given  to  these  fleeting 
scenes,  that  it  is  difficult,  after  gazing  at  them  for 
a  few  minutes,  to  believe  they  are  mere  shadows. 
The  mind  forgets  the  world  of  waters  around,  and, 
in  the  enthusiasm  of  the  hour,  goes  out  in  busy 
imagination  to  that  beautiful  land,  and  roves  among 

*  Isa.  \  \  v  i '    2  ;  xxv.  4,  5 ;  iv.  0. 


THE   ATLANTIC   OCEAN.  X91 

its  valleys  and  hills  in  dreamy  enjoyment.  We  are 
not,  then,  surprised  that  the  imaginative  Greeks 
should  have  sung  of  their  Fortunate  Islands,  the 
habitations  of  the  blessed,  placed  far  away  in  the 
ocean  of  the  west,  and  invested  with  more  than 
earthly  loveliness;  nor  that  the  existence  of  isles 
of  similar  character,  in  the  same  mysterious,  be- 
cause unknown,  regions,  should  have  found  a  place 
in  the  mythology  of  even  so  remote  a  nation  as  the 
Hindoos. 

The  beauteous  scenes  before  us,  however,  are  as 
transitory  as  they  are  lovely :  night  comes  on  with 
a  rapidity,  startling  to  us  accustomed  to  the  long 
twilight  of  the  north ;  the  rich  hues  with  which  the 
western  sky  is  suffused,  the  crimson  and  ruddy  gold, 
speedily  change  to  a  warm  and  swarthy  brown,  and 
one  by  one  the  stars  come  out,  and  light  up  the  sky 
with  a  strange  and  unwonted  effulgence.  Humboldt 
describes  in  the  following  terms  his  own  emotions 
on  first  seeing  the  brilliant  stars  of  these  regions :— 

"From  the  time  we  entered  the  torrid  zone,  we 
were  never  wearied  with  admiring,  every  night,  the 
beauty  of  the  southern  sky,  which,  as  we  advanced 
towards  the  south,  opened  new  constellations  to  our 
view.  We  feel  an  indescribable  sensation,  when, 
on  approaching  the  equator,  and  particularly  on 
passing  from  one  hemisphere  to  the  other,  we  see 
those  stars  which  we  have  contemplated  from  our 
infancy,  progressively  sink,  and  finally  disappear. 
Nothing  awakens  in  the  traveller  a  livelier  remem- 
brance of  the  immense  distance  by  which  he  is 
separated   from  his  country,  than  the  aspect  of  an 


Jf)2  THE   OCEAN. 

unknown  firmament.  The  grouping  of  the  stars  of 
the  first  magnitude,  some  scattered  nebulae  rivalling 
in  splendour  the  milky  way,  and  tracts  of  space 
remarkable  for  their  extreme  blackness,  give  a  par- 
ticular physiognomy  to  the  southern  sky.  This 
si^ht  fills  with  admiration  even  those,  who,  unin- 
structed  in  the  branches  of  accurate  science,  feel 
the  same  emotions  of  delight  in  the  contemplation 
of  the  heavenly  vault,  as  in  the  view  of  a  beautiful 
landscape,  or  a  majestic  river.  A  traveller  has  no 
need  of  being  a  botanist  to  recognize  the  torrid  zone 
on  the  mere  aspect  of  its  vegetation ;  and,  without 
having  acquired  any  notions  of  astronomy,  he  feels 
he  is  not  in  Europe,  when  he  sees  the  immense  con- 
stellation of  the  Ship,  or  the  phosphorescent  clouds 
of  Magellan,  arise  on  the  horizon.  The  heaven  and 
the  earth,  everything  in  the  equinoctial  regions,  as- 
sume an  exotic  character."* 

But  of  all  the  constellations  that  stud  the  sky  of 
the  southern  hemisphere,  there  is  none  that  more 
strikes  a  stranger  than  the  Southern  Cross.  Its 
beauty,  as  well  as  the  singularity  of  its  form,  caunot 
fail  to  inspire  interest;  even  though  we  be,  through 
the  grace  of  God,  furnished  with  ideas  of  true 
ami  spiritual  worship,  that  prevent  our  viewing  it 
with  the  superstitious  reverence  with  which  it  is 
regarded  by  the  inhabitants  of  South  America.  It 
is  not  seen  above  the  horizon  until  we  are  within 
the  tropics,  and  scarcely  appears  to  advantage  until 
we  approach  the  equator.  As  the  two  brilliant  stars 
which  form  the  top  and  bottom  of  the  Cross,  have 

*  Personal  Narrative,  181-4.     Vol.  ii.  r-  Is- 


THE   ATLANTIC   OCEAN. 


193 


nearly  the  same  right  ascension,  they  assume  a  per- 
pendicular position  when  upon  the  meridian;  and 
hence  afford  an  accurate  mode  of  measuring  time; 


The  Southern  Cross. 


as  the  hour  of  southing  at  the  different  seasons,  vary- 
ing four  minutes  every  night,  is  well  known  to  the 
inhabitants  of  the  southern  hemisphere.  It  is  very 
common  to  hear  the  peasants  observe  one  to  another, 
"It  is  after  midnight"  (or  some  other  hour);  "the 
Cross  begins  to  fall!" 

Alone,  in  the  midst  of  the  ocean,  called  to  nightly 
watchings  upon  the  deck,  the  mariner  naturally 
becomes  familiar  with  the  glowing  orbs  which  are 
revealed  by  the  surrounding  darkness;  and  if  he 
be  a  Christian,  his  thoughts  are  led  out,  as  he  lifts 

13  R 


194 


THE   OCEAN. 


up  his  eyes  on  high,  and  beholds  the  stars  marshal- 
led in  order,  or  the  moon  "walking  in  brightness,"  to 
Him  that  "created  these  things,  that  bringeth  out 
their  host  by  number,  and  calleth  them  all  by 
names."  For  "the  heavens  declare  the  glory  of 
God;  and  the  firmament  sheweth  His  handywork. 
Day  unto  day  uttereth  speech;  and  night  unto  night 
sheweth  knowledge.  There  is  no  speech  nor  lan- 
guage, where  their  voice  is  not  heard." 

Between,  or  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  tropics, 
the  ship  is  rarely  unaccompanied  by  fishes  of  many 
species,  which,  in  the  clear  waters  of  these  southern 
seas,  are  visible    many  fathoms    beneath    her    keel. 


CORYI'HEWE    (Coryplnrna). 


One  of  the  most  common,  and  perhaps  one  of  the 
most  beautiful,  is  the  Coryphene  (Coryphama\  mis- 
called by  seamen,  the  Dolphin.     One  is  never  weary 


THE   ATLANTIC    OCEAN.  195 

of  admiring  their  beauty.  Their  form  is  deep,  but 
thin  and  somewhat  flattened;  and  their  sides  are  of 
brilliant  pearly  white,  like  polished  silver.  In  small 
companies  of  five  or  six,  they  usually  appear  and 
play  around  and  beneath  the  ship,  sometimes  close 
to  the  surface,  and  sometimes  at  such  a  depth  that 
the  eye  can  but  dimly  discern  their  shadowy  out- 
line. When  playing  at  an  inconsiderable  depth,  in 
their  turnings  hither  and  thither,  the  rays  of  the 
sun,  reflected  from  ther  polished  sides,  as  one  or 
the  other  is  exposed  to  the  light,  flash  out  in  sudden 
gleams,  or  are  interrupted,  in  a  very  striking  man- 
ner. Night  and  day  these  interesting  creatures  are 
sporting  about,  apparently  insusceptible  of  weari- 
ness. Their  motion  is  very  rapid,  when  their  powers 
are  put  forth,  as  in  pursuit  of  the  timid  little  Flying- 
fish.  It  is  to  these  fishes  that  most  of  the  accounts 
of  Dolphins,  which  we  read  in  voyages,  must  be 
referred,  as,  owing  to  some  mistake  of  identity, 
not  easily  accounted  for,  the  name  of  Dolphin  has 
been  universally  misapplied  by  our  seamen  to  the 
Coryphene,  while  they  confound  the  true  Dolphin 
with  the  Porpesse.  From  not  adverting  to  this 
habitual  misnomer,  some  confusion  has  arisen:  thus 
the  following  interesting  notice  has  been  quoted 
in  a  late  valuable  work  on  the  Cetacea,*  as  illustra- 
tive of  the  true  Dolphins,  although  the  fair  nar- 
rator herself  takes  care  to  inform  us  that  she  means 
the  Coryphama  hippuris:  "The  other  morning,  a 
large  Dolphin,  which  had  been  following  the  ship 
for  some  distance,  and  was  sparkling  most  gloriously 

*Jardiue's  Naturalist's  Library. 


196  THE    OCEAN. 

iu  the  sun,  suddenly  detected  a  shoal  of  Flying-fish 
rising  from  the  sea  at  some  distance.  With  the 
rapidity  of  lightning  he  wheeled  round,  made  one 
tremendous  leap,  and  so  timed  his  fall  as  to  arrive 
fairly  at  the  place  where  our  little  friends,  the  Fly- 
ing-fish, were  forced  to  drop  into  the  sea  to  refresh 
their  weary  wing.  A  flight  of  sea-gulls  now  joined 
in  the  pursuit;  we  gave  up  our  proteges  for  lost, 
when,  to  our  great  joy,  we  beheld  them  rising  again, 
for  they  had  merely  skimmed  the  wave,  and,  thus 
recruited,  continued  their  flight.  Their  restless  foe 
pursued  them  with  giant  strides,  now  cutting  the 
wave,  which  flashed  and  sparkled  with  the  reflection 
of  his  brilliant  coat,  and  then  giving  one  huge  leap, 
which  brought  him  up  with  his  prey:  they  seemed 
conscious  that  escape  was  impossible;  their  flight 
became  shorter  and  more  flurried,  whilst  the  Dolphin, 
animated  by  the  certain  prospect  of  success,  grew 
more  vigorous  in  his  bounds;  exhausted,  they  drop- 
ped their  wings,  and  fell  one  by  one  into  the  jaws 
of  the  Dolphin,  or  were  snapped  up  by  the  vigilant 
Gulls.'1* 

Captain  Basil  Hall  has  described  a  very  similar 
scene  in  nearly  parallel  terms;  but,  to  prevent  mis- 
understanding, lie  also  informs  his  readers  that  "the 
Dolphin"  of  his  narrative  is  the  Gorypho&na  hippuris 
of  naturalists,  and  a  true  fish. 

"Shortly  after  observing  a  cluster  of  Flying-fish 

rise  out  of   the  water,   we  discovered    two  or  three 

Dolphins  [Coryphenes]  ranging  past  the  ship,  in  all 

th'-ir    beauty;    and   watched   with    some    anxiety  to 

*  Miss  Lloyd's  Sketches  of  Lermuda. 


THE   ATLANTIC    OCEAN.  199 

see  one  of  tliose  aquatic  chases,  of  which  our  friends 
the  Indiamen  had  been  telling  us  such  wonderful 
stories.  We  had  not  long  to  wait;  for  tlie  -ship, 
in  her  progress  through  the  water,  soon  put  up 
another  shoal  of  these  little  things,  which,  as  the 
others  had  done,  took  their  flight  directly  to  wind- 
ward. A  large  Dolphin,  which  had  been  keeping 
company  with  us  abreast  of  the  weather  gangway, 
at  the  depth  of  two  or  three  fathoms,  and,  as  usual, 
glistening  most  beautifully  in  the  sun,  no  sooner 
detected  our  poor,  dear  little  friends  take  wing,  than 
he  turned  his  head  towards  them,  and,  darting  to 
the  surface,  leaped  from  the  water  with,  a  velocity 
little  short,  as  it  seemed,  of  a  cannon-ball.  But, 
although  the  impetus  with  which  he  shot  himself 
into  the  air  gave  him  an  initial  velocity  greatly 
exceeding  that  of  the  Flying-fish,  the  start  which  his 
fated  prey  had  got,  enabled  them  to  keep  ahead  of 
him  for  a  considerable  time. 

"The  length  of  the  Dolphin's  first  spring  could 
not  be  less  than  ten  yards;  and,  after  he  fell,  we 
could  see  him  gliding  like  lightning  through  the 
water  for  a  moment,  when  he  again  rose  and  shot 
forwards  with  considerably  greater  velocity  than  at 
first,  and,  of  course,  to  a  still  greater  distance.  In 
this  manner  the  merciless  pursuer  seemed  to  stride 
along  the  sea  with  fearful  rapidity,  while  his  bril- 
liant coat  sparkled  and  flashed  in  the  sun  quite  splen- 
didly. As  he  fell  headlong  on  the  water,  at  the  end 
of  each  huge  leap,  a  series  of  cireles  were  sent  far 
over  the  still  surface,  which  lay  as  smooth  as  a 
mirror. 


200  TIIE    OCEAN. 

"The  group  of  wretched  Flying- fish,  thus  hotly 
pursued,  at  length  dropped  into  the  sea;  but  we 
were  rejoiced  to  observe  that  they  merely  touched 
the  top  of  the  swell,  and  scarcely  sunk  in  it;  at 
least,  they  instantly  set  off  again  in  a  fresh  and  even 
more  vigorous  flight,  It  was  particularly  interest- 
ing to  observe,  that  the  direction  they  now  took 
was  quite  different  from  the  one  in  which  they  had 
set  out,  implying  but  too  obviously  that  they  had 
detected  their  fierce  enemy,  who  was  following  them 
with  giant  steps  along  the  waves,  and  now  gaining 
rapidly  upon  them.  His  terrific  pace,  indeed,  was 
two  or  three  times  as  swift  as  theirs,  poor  little 
things! 

"The  greedy  Dolphin,  however,  was  fully  as 
quick-sighted  as  the  Flying-fish  which  were  trying 
to  elude  him;  for,  whenever  they  varied  their  flight 
in  the  smallest  degree,  he  lost  not  the  tenth  part  of 
a  second  in  shaping  a  new  course,  so  as  to  cut  off 
the  chase;  while  they,  in  a  manner  really  not  un- 
like that  of  the  hare,  doubled  more  than  once  upon 
their  pursuer.  But  it  was  soon  too  plainly  to  be 
seen  that  the  strength  and  confidence  of  the  Flying- 
fish  were  fast  ebbing.  Their  flights  became  shorter 
and  shorter,  and  their  eourse  more  fluttering  and 
uneertain,  while  the  enormous  leaps  of  the  Dolphin 
appeared  to  grow  only  more  vigorous  at  eaeh  bound. 
Eventually,  indeed,  Ave  could  see,  or  fancied  that 
we  could  see,  that  this  skilful  sea-sportsman  ar- 
ranged all  his  springs  with  such  an  assurance  of  suc- 
cess, that  he  contrived  to  fall,  at  the  end  of  each, 
just  under  the  very  spot  on  which  the  exhausted  Fly- 


THE   ATLANTIC    OCEAN.  201 

mg-fish  were  about  to  drop !  Sometimes  this  catas- 
trophe took  place  at  too  great  a  distance  for  us  to 
see  from  the  deck  exactly  what  happened;  but  on 
our  mounting  high  into  the  rigging,  we  may  be  said 
to  have  been  in  at  the  death ;  for  then  we  could  dis- 
cover that  the  unfortunate  little  creatures,  one  after 
another,  either  popped  right  into  the  Dolphin's  jaws 
as  they  lighted  on  the  water,  or  were  snapped  up 
instantly  afterwards. 

"  It  was  impossible  not  to  take  an  active  part  with 
our  pretty  little  friends  of  the  weaker  side,  and  ac- 
cordingly we  very  speedily  had  our  revenge.  The 
middies  and  the  sailors,  delighted  with  the  chance, 
rigged  out  a  dozen  or  twenty  lines  from  the  jib- 
boom  end  and  spritsail-yard-arms  with  hooks,  baited 
merely  with  bits  of  tin,  the  glitter  of  whieh  re- 
sembles so  much  that  of  the  body  and  wings  of  the 
Flying-fish,  that  many  a  proud  Dolphin,  making- 
sure  of  a  delicious  morsel,  leaped  in  rapture  at  the 
deceitful  prize."* 

Though  these  and  other  recorded  anecdotes  indu- 
bitably refer  to  the  bright  pearly  fishes  just  described, 
there  cannot  be  a  doubt  that  the  same  habits  are 
found  to  mark  the  true  Cetaceous  Dolphins;  while 
at  the  same  time  I  confess  that  I  do  not  recollect  any 
instance  in  which  such  pursuit  has  been  witnessed,  in 
my  own  experience,  or  recorded  in  books  of  voyages. 
Indeed  I  do  not  conceive  that  the  chase  of  the  Flying- 
fish  by  the  Coryphene  has  been  often  witnessed,  nor 
that  it  can  be  considered  as  any  other  than  a  rare 
occurrence.     As  the  aerial  boundings  of  the  Flying- 

*  Frag.  Voy.  imd  Trav.     Second  Series.     Vol.  i.  p.  224. 


202  THE   OCEAN. 

fish,  however,  are  of  constant  observation  within  the 
tropics,  it  seems  but  natural  to  conclude  that  they 
are  but  the  frolicsome  putting  forth  of  superabundant 
animal  energy ;  that  they  are,  in  fact,  performed  in 
sportive  play,  as  the  lamb  skips  and  leaps  upon  the 
grass,  or  the  dog  pursues  its  own  evasive  tail. 
These  flights,  generally  performed  in  shoals  varying 
in  number  from  a  dozen  to  a  hundred  or  more,  are 
extremely  pleasing,  and  sustain  our  interest  even 
long  after  they  have  become  familiar  to  us.  One 
is  apt,  at  first  sight  of  a  flock,  especially  if  it  be 
unexpected,  to  mistake  them  for  white  birds  flying 
by,  till  they  are  seen  to  alight  in  the  water.  The 
length  of  the  bound  is  enormous,  if  it  be  indeed 
effected  by  a  single  impulse;  but  this  point  seems 
hardly  to  be  satisfactorily  settled  even  yet.  I  feel 
persuaded  that  I  have  more  than  once  seen  them 
deviate  from  the  uniform  curve  which  they  usually 
describe,  rising  and  sinking  alternately  so  as  to 
keep  at  the  same  distance  from  the  undulations  of 
the  surface ;  and  Humboldt,  one  of  the  most  accu- 
rate of  observers,  speaks  unhesitatingly  of  their  flap- 
ping the  air  with  their  long  fins.  Indeed,  it  would 
else  seem  almost  impossible  to  imagine  that  so  small 
a  fish,  not  so  large  as  a  herring,  should  be  able  to 
propel  itself  to  the  height  of  twenty  feet,  and  to  the 
distance  of  more  than  six  hundred,  through  the  air. 
Generally,  one  takes  his  leap  first,  then  the  whole 
flock  follow  at  once,  shooting  in  nearly  a  straight 
line,  and  skimming  along  a  little  above  the  surface; 
so  little  that  they  often  strike  the  side  of  a  rising 
wave,  and  go  under  water. 


THE    ATLANTIC    OCEAX.  203 

Another  visitant,  who  very  freely  gives  us  much 
of  his  company,  is  the  White  Shark  (Carcarias  vul- 
gar^ probably  the  most  terrific  monster  that  cleaves 
the  waves;  certainly  the  most  hated,  and  at  the  same 
time  feared,  by  the  sailor.  The  catching  of  fish  is  at 
all  times  a  pleasing  amusement  to  the  mariner;  but  to 
catch  the  "Shirk,"  as  he  is  called,  there  is  a  peculiar 
avidity,  in  which  the  gratification  of  a  deep-seated 
hatred  of  the  species,  and  vengeance  for  his  murder- 
ous propensities,  form  the  leading  features.  When 
taken,  whether  entrapped  by  the  concealed  hook,  or 
struck  by  the  open  violence  of  the  harpoon,  and 
brought  on  deck,  he  is  subjected  to  every  indignity 
which  an  insane  fury  can  heap  upon  an  object — beat, 
stabbed,  and  kicked,  and  even  reviled  as  if  capable 
of  understanding  language.  In  truth,  I  have  never 
seen  any  animal,  terrestrial  or  aquatic,  which,  so  to 
speak,  has  "villain"  written  on  its  countenance  in  as 
legible  characters  as  the  Shark.  The  shape  of  the 
head,  and  the  form  of  the  mouth,  opening  so  far  be- 
neath, are  anything  but  prepossessing;  but  there  is 
a  peculiar  malignity  in  the  expression  of  the  eye,  that 
seems  almost  satanic,  and  which  one  can  never  look 
upon  without  shuddering.  The  mouth  is  armed  with 
teeth  of  very  peculiar  construction ;  they  are  trian- 
gular in  form,  thin  and  flat,  the  central  part,  however, 
being  thicker  than  the  edges,  which  are  as  keen  as  a 
lancet,  and  cut  into  fine  serratures,  like  a  saw.  In 
very  large  Sharks,  the  teeth  have  been  found  nearly 
two  inches  in  breadth :  they  are  placed  in  rows, 
sometimes  to  the  number  of  six,  one  within  another, 
lying  nearly  flat  when  not  in  use,  but  erected  in  a 


204  THE    OCEAN. 

moment  to  seize  prey :  and  as  they  are  so  planted  in 
the  jaw  that  each  tooth  is  capable  of  independent 
motion,  being  furnished  with  its  own  muscles,  and  as 
the  power  of  the  jaws  is  enormous,  they  form  one  of 
the  most  terrific  and  formidable  apparatus  existing 
for  the  supply  of  carnivorous  appetite.  The  fatal 
voracity  of  this  animal  is  well  known  :  instances  are 
numerous  of  swimmers  in  tropical  seas  having  been 
severed  in  twain  at  one  snap,  or  deprived  of  limbs, 
while,  on  more  than  one  occasion,  the  whole  body  of 
a  man  has  been  taken  from  this  living  sepulchre. 
Yet  this  sanguinary  voracity  is  but  the  result  of  an 
unerring  instinct  implanted  in  the  animal  by  God, 
without  the  exercise  of  which  its  life  could  not  be 
sustained:  and  therefore  it  seems  not  only  foolish,  but 
even  sinful,  to  entertain  feelings  of  personal  revenge 
against  it,  as  if  it  were  endowed  with  human  reason, 
"  knowing  good  and  evil."  I  do  not  know  that  it  is 
wrong  to  kill  an  animal  so  destructive  and  dan- 
gerous ;  I  reprobate  only  the  imputation  to  it  of 
human  motives,  and  the  staining  a  useful  act  with 
unnecessary  cruelty. 

The  mode  by  which  the  race  of  these  formidable 
creatures  is  continued,  differing  as  it  does  so  greatly 
from  that  of  most  other  fishes,  is  exceedingly  curious. 
The  Shark,  instead  of  depositing  some  millions  of 
eggs  in  a  season,  like  the  Cod  or  the  Herring,  pro- 
duces two  egg^,  of  a  square  or  oblong  form,  the  coat 
of  which  is  composed  of  a  tough  horny  substance ; 
each  corner  is  prolonged  into  a  tendril,  of  which  the 
two  which  are  next  the  tail  of  the  enclosed  fish  are 
stronger  and    more    prehensile  than  the  other  pair. 


THE    ATLANTIC    OCEAN.  205 

The  use  of  these  tendrils  appears  to  be  their  entan- 
glement among  the  stalks  of  sea- weeds,  and  the  con- 
sequent mooring  of  the  egg  in  a  situation  of  pro- 
tection and  comparative  security.  Near  the  head 
there  is  a  slit  in  the  egg-skin,  through  which  the 
water  enters  for  respiration,  and  another  at  the  oppo- 
site extremity  by  which  it  is  discharged.  That  part 
of  the  skin  which  is  near  the  head,  is  weaker  and 
more  easily  ruptured  than  any  other  part ;  a  provi- 
sion for  the  easy  exclusion  of  the  animal,  which  takes 
place  before  the  entire  absorption  of  the  vitellus  or 
yolk  of  the  egg,  the  remainder  being  attached  to  the 
body  of  the  young  fish,  enclosed  in  a  capsule,  which 
for  awhile  it  carries  about.  The  position  of  the  ani- 
mal, while  within  the  egg,  is  with  the  head  doubled 
back  towards  the  tail,  one  very  unfavourable  for  the 
process  of  breathing  by  internal  gills,  and  henceihere 
is  an  interesting  provision  made  to  meet  the  emer- 
gency. On  each  side  a  filament  of  the  substance  of 
the  gills  projects  from  the  gill-opening,  containing 
vessels  in  which  the  blood  is  exposed  to  the  action 
of  the  water.  These  processes  are  gradually  absorbed 
after  the  fish  is  excluded,  until  which  the  internal 
gills  are  scarcely  capable  of  respiration.  How  curious 
an  analogy  we  here  discover  with  the  Frogs  and 
Newts  among  the  Eeptiles;  and  how  impressively  do 
we  learn  the  Divine  benevolence,  when  we  find  that 
the  object  of  so  much  contrivance  and  care  is  the 
dreaded  and  hated  Shark  ! 

In  these  latitudes  the  Hammer-headed  Shark 
(Z/jgcena  malleus),  a  fish  of  singular  construction, 
attains  a  large  size.     In  most  particulars  it  closely 


206 


THE    OCEAN. 


resembles  the  species  just  noticed,  but  the  head  is 
widened  out  on  each  side  into  an  oblong  projection, 
at  each  extremity  of  which  is  placed  the  eye.  The 
whole  of  this  part  has  the  form  of  a  double-headed 
hammer  or  maul.  Undoubtedly  one  result  of  this 
remarkable  structure  is  a  vast  increase  of  the  sphere 
of  vision;  bat  why  a  fish  so  formidably  armed,  and 
endowed  with  such  powers  of  motion,  should  be  thus 
favoured,  we  are  not  sufficiently  acquainted  with  its 
habits  to  determine. 

Another  singular  deviation  from  the  general  struc- 
ture is  found  in  the  Saw-fish  (Pristis  antiqnormn), 
which  is  a  shark  with  the  head  prolonged  into  a  flat 


Hammek-Siiakk  {Zyymna  malleus),  and  Saw-fish  (JJristi»  antiquorum). 


THE    ATLANTIC    OCEAN.  207 

bony  sword,  each  edge  of  winch  is  armed  with  sharp 
bony  spines,  resembling  teeth,  pointing  backwards: 
there  are  about  twenty  of  these  in  each  row.  The 
body  also  is  covered  on  the  upper  surface  with  hard 
sharp  tubercles,  the  points  of  which  turn  backwards. 
In  this  respect,  it  resembles  some  of  the  Kay  or  Skate 
tribe,  as  it  does  also  in  the  flattened  form  of  its  body, 
and  in  other  respects.  Its  colour  is  a  dark  grey  on 
the  upper  parts,  gradually  softening  into  white 
beneath.  This  species  was  known  to  the  ancients, 
being  found  in  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  as  well  as  in 
the  Ocean,  but  it  is  in  the  tropical  seas  that  it  acquires 
its  most  gigantic  dimensions.  It  seems  to  be  an  animal 
of  scarcely  less  ferocity,  though  far  less  frequently 
met  with,  than  the  Common  Shark:  to  the  Whales  it 
is  a  formidable  antagonist,  and  though  the  form  of  its 
saw-like  sword  does  not  seem  most  adapted  for.  pene- 
trating a  resisting  body,  such  is  the  vigour  of  its 
attack,  that  it  will  bury  its  weapon  to  the  root  in  the 
flesh  of  the  Whale;  and  instances  are  not  infrequent 
in  which  it  has  been  found  firmly  imbedded  in  the 
hull  of  a  ship.  The  following  interesting  narrative, 
by  Captain  Wilson  of  the  Halifax  packet,  gives  us 
an  idea  of  the  powers  of  this  monster: — 

"Being  in  the  Gulf  of  Pari  a,  in  the  ship's  cutter, 
on  the  15th  of  April,  1839,  I  fell  in  with  a  Spanish 
canoe,  manned  by  two  men,  then  in  great  distress, 
who  requested  me  to  save  their  lives  and  canoe,  with 
-which  request  I  immediately  complied ;  and  going 
alongside  for  that  purpose,  I  discovered  that  they 
had  got  a  large  Saw-fish  entangled  in  their  turtle- 
net,  which  was  towing  them  out  to  sea,  and  but  for 


208  THE    OCEAN. 

my  assistance  they  must  have  lost  either  their  canoe 
or  their  net,  or  perhaps  both,  which  were  their  only 
means  of  subsistence.  Having  only  two  boys  with  me 
in  the  boat  at  the  time,  I  desired  them  to  cut  the  fish 
away,  which  they  refused  to  do ;  I  then  took  the 
bight  of  the  net  from  them,  and  with  the  joint  en- 
deavours of  themselves  and  my  boat's  crew,  we  suc- 
ceeded in  hauling  up  the  net,  and  to  our  astonish- 
ment, after  great  exertions,  we  raised  the  saw  of  the 
fish  about  eight  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  sea. 
It  was  a  fortunate  circumstance  that  the  fish  came 
up  with  the  belly  towards  the  boat,  or  it  would  have 
cut  the  boat  in  two. 

"I  had  abandoned  all  idea  of  taking  the  fish,  until, 
by  great  good  luck,  it  made  towards  the  land,  when 
I  made  another  attempt,  and  having  about  fifty 
fathoms  of  rope  in  the  boat,  we  succeeded  in  making  a 
running  bowline-knot  round  the  saw  of  the  fish,  and 
this  we  fortunately  made  fast  on  shore.  When  the 
fish  found  itself  secured,  it  plunged  so  violently,  that 
I  could  not  prevail  on  any  one  to  go  near  it:  the  ap- 
pearance it  presented  was  truly  awful.  I  immediately 
went  alongside  the  Lima  packet,  Capt.  Singleton, 
and  got  the  assistance  of  all  his  ship's  crew.  By  the 
time  they  arrived  the  fish  was  rather  less  violent; 
we  hauled  upon  the  net  again,  in  which  it  was  still 
entangled,  and  got  another  fifty  fathoms  of  line  made 
fast  to  the  saw,  and  attempted  to  haul  it  towards  the 
shore;  but,  although  mustering  thirty  hands,  we  could 
not  move  it  an  inch.  By  this  time  the  negroes  be- 
longing to  Mr.  Danglad's  estate  came  flocking  to  our 
assistance,  making  together  with  the  Spaniards  about 


THE   ATLANTIC   OCEAN.  209 

one  hundred  in  number:  we  then  hauled  on  both 
ropes  for  nearly  the  whole  of  the  day,  before  the 
fish  became  exhausted.  On  endeavouring  to  raise 
the  fish  it  became  most  desperate,  sweeping  with  its 
saw  from  side  to  side,  so  that  we  were  compelled  to 
get  strong  guy-ropes  to  prevent  it  from  cutting  us  to 
pieces.  After  that,  one  of  the  Spaniards  got  on  its 
back,  and  at  great  risk  cut  through  the  joint  of  the 
tail,  when  animation  was  completely  suspended:  it 
was  then  measured,  and  found  to  be  22  feet  long 
and  8  feet  broad,  and  weighed  nearly  5  tons."* 

Other  monstrous  creatures,  of  unpleasing  forms 
and  formidable  powers,  rove  at  will  through  these 
waters.  I  shall  mention  only  the  Horned  Eay 
{Cephaloptera).  Imagine  a  Thornback  or  Skate,  of 
the  length  of  twenty- five  feet,  with  the  side-fins 
greatly  lengthened  out,  so  as  to  make  the  total  width 
upwards  of  thirty  feet:  these  side-fins,  instead  of 
meeting  in  a  point  in  front  of  the  head,  projecting  on 
each  side  into  a  curved  point,  like  a  horn.  Such  is 
the  Cephaloptera;  and  it  is  powerful  and  voracious 
in  proportion  to  its  size.  Col.  Hamilton  Smith,  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Trinidad,  had  the  pain  of  witness- 
ing a  fellow-creature  involved  in  the  horrible  embrace 
of  one  of  these  monsters.  It  was  at  early  dawn  that 
a  soldier  was  endeavouring  to  desert  from  the  ship  by 
swimming  on  shore.  A  sailor  from  aloft,  seeing  the 
approach  of  one  of  these  terrific  fishes,  alarmed  the 
swimmer,  who  endeavoured  to  return;  but,  in  sight 
of  his  comrades,  was  presently  overtaken,  the  crea- 
ture throwing  over  him  one  of  its  huge  fins,  and  thus 

*  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.  1839,  p.  519. 
14  s  2 


210  THE    OCEAN. 

carrying  him  down.  In  the  following  record,  which 
wa3  inserted  in  a  late  Barbadoes  paper,  though  the 
description  is  not  drawn  up  exactly  as  a  Naturalist 
would  have  done  it,  one  has  no  difficulty  in  recognis- 
ing an  enormous  Cejohaloptera : — "On  the  22nd  of 
August  [1848],  the  Brig  Rowena  was  lying  in  La 
Guayra  Roads,  the  weather  perfectly  calm :  I  disco- 
vered the  vessel  moving  about  among  the  shipping. 
I  could  not  conceive  what  could  be  the  matter.  I 
gave  orders  to  heave  in,  and  see  if  the  anchor  was 
gone,  but  it  was  not :  but  to  my  surprise,  I  found  a 
tremendous  monster  entangled  fast  in  the  buoy-rope, 
and  moving  the  anchor  slowly  along  the  bottom.  I 
then  had  the  fish  towed  on  shore.  It  was  of  a  flat- 
tish  shape,  something  like  a  devil-fish,  but  very 
curious  shape,  being  wider  than  it  was  long,  and 
having  two  tusks,  one  on  each  side  of  the  mouth, 
and  a  very  small  tail  in  proportion  to  the  fish,  and 
exactly  like  a  bat's  tail.  'The  tail  can  be  seen  on 
board  the  Brig  Rowena.  Dimensions  of  the  fish 
were  as  follows  : — length  from  end  of  tail  to  end  of 
tusks,  18  feet;  from  wing  to  wing,  20  feet;  the 
mouth,  4  feet  wide ;  and  its  weight,  3502  lbs." 

Every  one  may  imagine  how  much  the  tedium  of 
a  long  voyage  is  relieved  by  the  company  of  other 
vessels,  or  even  by  the  speaking  of  a  passing  ship ; 
but  a  few  who  have  only  seen  vessels  lying  in  tiers, 
side  by  side,  at  quays,  or  wharfs,  are  at  all  aware  of, 
or  can  readily  understand,  the  anxious  care  with 
which  commanders  guard  against  two  ships  on  the 
high  sea  coming  within  even  a  considerable  distance 
of  each  other.     I  have  often  been  amused  by  hearing 


THE   ATLANTIC    OCEAN.  211 

the  wishes  expressed  by  passengers  on  their  first 
voyage,  when  a  vessel  is  speaking  at  what  they  think 
a  most  uncivil  distance,  that  she  would  but  come 
nearer,  particularly  if  the  wind  is  light,  as  "  there 
can  be  no  clanger  then."  Little  do  they  think  that 
when  in  a  perfect  calm  the  danger  of  contact  is  even 
greatest,  as,  if  there  be  wind  enough  to  give  the  ves- 
sel "steerage  way,"  she  is  under  control,  and  the 
evil  may  be  avoided.  On  this  subject,  and  on  the 
motions  of  ships  in  calms,  an  unexceptionable  autho- 
rity, Captain  Basil  Hall,  thus  speaks : — 

"  How  it  happens  I  do  not  know,  but  on  occasions 
of  perfect  calm,  or  such  as  appear  to  be  perfect  calm, 
the  ships  of  a  fleet  generally  drift  away  from  one 
another,  so  that,  at  the  end  of  a  few  hours,  the  whole 
circle  bounded  by  the  horizon  is  speckled  over  with 
these  unmanageable  hulks,  as  they  may  for  the  time 
be  considered.  It  will  occasionally  happen,  indeed, 
that  two  ships  draw  so  near  in  a  calm  as  to  incur 
some  risk  of  falling  on  board  one  another.  I  need 
scarcely  mention  that  even  in  the  smoothest  water 
ever  found  in  the  open  sea,  two  large  ships  coming 
into  actual  contact  must  prove  a  formidable  encounter. 
As  long  as  they  are  apart,  their  gentle  and  rather 
graceful  movements  are  fit  subjects  of  admiration ; 
and  I  have  often  seen  people  gaze  for  an  hour  at  a 
time  at  the  ships  of  a  becalmed  fleet,  slowly  twisting 
round,  changing  their  position,  and  rolling  from  side 
to  side  as  silently  as  if  they  had  been  in  harbour,  or 
accompanied  only  by  the  faint  rippling  sound  trip- 
ping along  the  water-line,  as  the  copper  below  the 
bends  alternately  sunk  into  the  sea,  or  rose  out  of  it, 


212  THE   OCEAN. 

dripping  wet,  and  shining  as  bright  and  clean  as  a 
new  coin,  from  the  constant  friction  of  the  Ocean 
during  the  previous  rapid  passage  across  the  Trade- 
winds. 

"But  all  this  picturesque  admiration  changes  to 
alarm  when  ships  come  so  close  as  to  risk  a  contact ; 
for  these  motions,  which  appear  so  slow  and  gentle 
to  the  eye,  are  irresistible  in  their  force;  and  as  the 
chances  are  against  the  two  vessels  moving  exactly  in 
the  same  direction  at  the  same  moment,  they  must 
speedily  grind  or  tear  one  another  to  pieces.  Sup- 
posing them  to  come  in  contact  side  by  side,  the  first 
roll  would  probably  tear  away  the  fore  and  main 
channels  of  both  ships;  the  next  roll,  by  interlacing 
the  lower  yards,  and  entangling  the  spars  of  one  ship 
with  the  shrouds  and  backsta}rs  of  the  other,  would, 
in  all  likelihood,  bring  down  all  three  masts  of  both 
ships,  not  piecemeal,  as  the  poet  hath  it,  but  in  one 
furious  crash.  Beneath  the  ruins  of  the  spars,  the 
coils  of  rigging,  and  the  enormous  folds  of  canvas, 
might  lie  crushed  many  of  the  best  hands,  who,  from 
being  always  the  foremost  to  spring  forward  in  such 
seasons  of  danger,  are  surest  to  be  sacrificed.  After 
this  first  catastrophe,  the  ships  would  probably  drift 
away  from  one  another  for  a  little  while,  only  to 
tumble  together  again  and  again,  till  they  had  ground 
one  another  to  the  water's  edge,  and  one,  or  both  of 
them,  would  fill,  and  go  down.  In  such  encounters 
it  is  impossible  to  stop  the  mischief;  and  oak  and 
iron  break  and  crumble  in  pieces  like  sealing-wax 
and  pie-crust.  Many  instances  of  such  accidents  are 
on  record,  but  1  never  witnessed  one. 


THE   ATLANTIC    OCEAN.  213 

"To  prevent  these  frightful  rencontres,  care  is 
always  taken  to  hoist  out  the  boats  in  good  time, 
if  need  be,  to  tow  the  ships  apart,  or,  what  is  gene- 
rally sufficient,  to  tow  the  ships'  heads  in  opposite 
directions.  I  scarcely  know  why  this  should  have 
the  effect;  but  certainly  it  appears  that,  be  the  calm 
ever  so  complete,  or  dead,  as  the  term  is,  a  vessel 
generally  forges  ahead,  or  steals  along  imperceptibly 
in  the  direction  she  is  looking  to;  possibly  from  the 
conformation  of  the  hull."* 

But  there  are  indications  of  our  patience  being 
at  length  rewarded  by  a  breeze  from  the  eastward; 
and  now  it  comes,  rippling  the  surface  as  it  ap- 
proaches, turning  that  into  a  deep  uniform  blue 
which  has  so  long  borne  a  glassy  brightness  reflected 
from  the  sky.  The  seamen  are  joyous  and  alert, 
for  they  know  that  this  is  no  "cat's-paw,"  but  the 
"regular  trade."  Now  it  strikes  the  ship;  the 
sails,  gracefully  swelling,  receive  the  unwonted  im- 
pulse; and  the  lengthened  wake,  where  the  water 
coils  and  frets  in  the  newly-cut  furrow,  tells  that 
the  vessel  makes  way  once  more.  The  breeze 
freshens;  the  little  waves  become  larger,  and,  arch- 
ing over  each  other,  break  with  patches  of  whiten- 
ing foam;  every  sail  is  speedily  set  that  will  draw; 
and  we  run  gaily  along  towards  the  west,  under  an 
eight  knot  breeze.  We  can  scarcely  stop  to  notice 
the  amity  that  subsists  between  the  Shark  and  the 
Pilot-fish  (Naucrates  dnctor),  a  beautiful  little  crea- 
ture, about  the  size  of  a  herring,  the  back  striped 
transversely  with  broad  alternate  bands  of  brown  and 

*  Frag.  Voy.  and  Trav.  2nd  Series,  i.  p.  226. 


214  THE    OCEAN. 

bright  azure;  nor  the  three  or  four  pretty  little 
Rudder-fishes  (Perca  saltatrix,  Linn.),  which  have 
been  following  and  accompanying  us  for  several 
days  past.  These  are  amusing  little  creatures.  They 
are  about  six  inches  long,  yellowish  brown,  with 
pale  spots:  they  keep  close  to  the  stern,  in  the  angle 
formed  by  the  rudder  and  the  counter  of  the  ship, 
the  "dead  water,''  as  it  is  called  by  seamen.  Hence 
they  occasionally  dart  out  after  any  little  atom  of 
floating  or  sinking  substance  which  promises  to  be 
eatable,  and  then,  having  either  seized  or  rejected  it, 
scuttle  back  again  to  their  corner,  remaining  there 
day  and  night  without  rest.  Nor  can  we  do  more 
than  glance  at  the  Sucking-fishes  {Echeneis),  that 
are  swimming  around,  or  have  attached  themselves 
to  the  side  of  the  rudder  by  means  of  the  singular 
oval  disk  on  the  head.  As  this  organ  is  of  singular 
construction,  so  its  use  in  the  economy  of  the  animal 
is  involved  in  entire  obscurity.  The  theory  of  the 
fish  being  a  very  slow  swimmer,  and  needing  to  be 
carried  along  by  others,  must  have  been  formed  by 
persons  who  never  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  the 
Remora  alive.  I  have  seen  many,  and  could  detect 
no  inferiority  in  their  powers  of  swimming  to  a 
young  Shark  of  the  same  size,  which  they  much  re- 
semble in  general  appearance  and  motion,  when  in 
the  water.  There  seems  to  be  a  perfect  vacuum 
formed  by  the  adhesion  of  the  disk,  and  the  external 
pressure,  when  under  water,  is  of  course  great.  As 
the  mouth  opens  upon  the  upper  surface  of  the  muz- 
zle, owing  to  the  projection  of  the  lower  jaw,  it 
is  possible  that  this  habit  may  be  connected  with 
t 


THE    ATLANTIC    OCEAN.  215 

taking  food :  there  are  many  little  creatures,  such, 
as  Crustacea,  Barnacles,  &c,  that  are  parasitical  on 
the  bodies  of  marine  animals,  or  attach  themselves 
to  any  submerged  substance.  If  the  Eckeneis  feeds 
on  these,  there  is  an  obvious  reason  why  the  head 
should  be  affixed  to  the  surface  during  the  dislodg- 
ment  of  the  adhering  prey,  in  order  to  acquire 
greater  steadiness,  as  well  as  a  leverage  by  which 
to  act  more  effectively.  At  all  events,  we  know 
that  it  is  not  a  useless  habit ;  we  trace  enough 
of  manifest  design  and  contrivance  in  what  we  do 
know  of  the  animal  creation,  to  warrant  our  con- 
fident conclusion,  when  we  find  any  instinct,  the 
intention  of  which  is  not  obvious,  that  it  also  is 
the  production  of  infinite  wisdom  and  goodness, 
and  that  it  could  not  have  been  spared  without 
injury  to  the  animal. 

Borne  on  the  wings  of  the  welcome  breeze,  we 
rapidly  approach  that  archipelago  of  lovely  islands 
that  gladdened  the  heart  and  rewarded  the  zeal  of 
the  chivalric  World-finder,  the  first  fruits  of  the 
vast  continent  which  the  genius  and  daring  of  one 
master-mind  opened  to  astonished  Europe.  The 
joyful  sound  of  "  Land  in  sight !"  resounds  through 
the  ship,  and  yonder,  upon  the  bow,  is  discovered, 
rising  out  of  the  blue  sea,  the  beautiful  island  of 
Antigua.  As  we  draw  near,  we  are  struck  with  its 
loveliness ;  the  coast  is  low,  but  the  land  rises  behind 
into  rounded  hills  of  moderate  elevation,  whose 
swelling  eminences  and  gentle  slopes  assume  some- 
what of  the  appearance  of  the  chalk  hills  and  downs 
of  our   own  sweet   Eimland.     But  there  are  features 


216  THE    OCEAN. 

which  effectually  distinguish  this  island  from  our 
own,  and  fail  not  to  remind  us  that  we  are  beholding 
the  gorgeousness  of  the  tropics.  The  summits  of 
the  hills  are  clothed  with  magnificent  forest-trees  of 
strange  forms  and  foliage ;  the  graceful  palms  wave 
their  feathery  crowns  against  the  deep  blue  sky: 
leafless  cacti,  thick  and  cylindrical,  project  from  the 
rocks,  or  take  the  shape  of  enormous  candelabra:  the 
great  American  aloe,  with  its  thick  and  spiny  leaves, 
shoots  up  its  glorious  head  of  yellow  blossoms  to  the 
height  of  twenty  feet :  the  clusters  of  golden  fruit 
depend  from  the  plantain  and  banana,  whose  gigantic 
fronds  are  cut  by  the  winds  into  ragged  segments; 
while  the  whole  array  is  bound  and  matted  together 
by  strong  rope-like  climbing  plants,  which,  crossing 
each  other  in  every  direction,  and  twisting  around  the 
forest-trees,  and  around  each  other,  like  huge  cables, 
present  an  immense  net  of  vegetation,  impenetrable 
except  by  the  axe  of  the  woodman.  Tree-ferns, 
possessing  all  the  grace  and  elegance  of  those  with 
which  we  are  familiar,  but  growing  to  a  giant  size, 
shoot  up  from  the  clefts  of  the  rocks,  or  from  the 
branches  of  the  loftier  trees,  their  rich  brown  stalks 
contrasting  with  the  vivid  green  of  their  fan-shaped 
fronds.  The  sides  of  the  hills  are  clothed  with  lux- 
uriant plantations  of  Indian  corn,  or  the  still  more 
rich  and  beautiful  sugar-cane  ;  and  here  and  there 
a  walk  of  cocoa-trees  is  rendered  conspicuous  by  the 
glowing  scarlet  blossoms  of  the  coral  trees,  by  whose 
shadow  they  are  sheltered  from  the  vertical  sun. 
The  coast  is  broken  into  numerous  little  bays  and 
coves;    some   penetrating   for   into   the    island,   like 


THE    ATLANTIC   OCEAN.  217 

canals  among  the  plantations.  A  multitude  of  little 
islets  are  scattered  around  on  the  surface  of  the  sea, 
on  many  of  which  the  cattle  are  grazing  on  the  rich 
and  succulent  pasture.  Some  of  them,  however, 
are  little  more  than  accumulations  of  sand,  formed 
of  powdered  coral  and  sea-shells,  and  affording  sup- 
port only  to  some  coarse  sedges,  and  to  mangrove- 
trees.  The  latter,  indeed,  delights  in  such  situa- 
tions, flourishing  at  the  very  edge  of  the  sea,  and 
even  where  the  ground  is  continually  liable  to 
inundation.  The  contorted  roots  of  this  tree  grow 
to  a  considerable  extent  above  the  soil,  so  that  the 
base  of  the  trunk  is  elevated  on  a  cone  of  matted 
roots,  through  which  the  water  washes,  while  from 
the  branches  young  twigs  are  perpetually  shooting 
downward,  till,  reaching  the  soil,  they  take  root, 
and  send  forth  other  shoots :  thus,  in  a  few  years, 
a  single  plant  will  spread  into  a  grove,  and  cover 
a  large  space  of  land.  As  we  sail  with  tortuous 
course  through  these  delightful  groups  of  ever- 
verdant  isles,  fresh  scenes  of  beauty  are  continually 
rising  before  us.  Now  a  conical  hill,  of  regular 
form,  arrests  the  attention,  clothed  with  thick  foliage 
from  the  water's  edge  to  the  summit,  where  the  white 
clouds  appear  to  rest :  then  we  admire  the  irregular 
surface  of  another  isle,  whose  dark  ravines  seem 
to  acquire  additional  gloom  from  the  glowing  sun- 
light that  plays  upon  the  surrounding  eminences: 
here  a  little  islet  of  bright  green  looks  in  the  blue 
sea  like  an  emerald  set  in  sapphire;  there  the  bold 
cliffs  and  black  precipices  of  a  larger  island  an- 
nounce a  very  different   formation.     Now  and  then 


218  THE    OCEAN. 

we  open  a  small  but  deep  and  beautiful  bay.  "A 
pretty  little  village  or  plantation  appears  at  the 
bottom  of  the  cove:  the  sandy  beach  stretches  like 
a  line  of  silver  round  the  blue  water,  and  the  cane- 
fields  form  a  broad  belt  of  vivid  green  in  the  back- 
ground. Behind  this,  the  mountains  rise  in  the 
most  fantastic  shapes,  here  cloven  into  deep  chasms, 
there  darting  into  arrowy  points,  and  every  where 
shrouded,  and  swathed,  as  it  were,  in  wood,  which 
the  hand  of  man  will  probably  never  lay  low.  The 
clouds,  which  within  the  tropics  are  infallibly  at- 
tracted by  any  woody  eminences,  contribute  greatly 
to  the  wildness  of  the  scene:  sometimes  they  are 
so  dense  as  to  bury  the  mountains  in  darkness,  at 
other  times  they  float  transparently  like  a  silken 
veil;  frequently  the  flaws  from  the  gulle\'s  perforate 
the  vapours,  and  make  windows  in  the  smoky  mass; 
and  then,  again,  the  wind  and  the  sun  will  cause  the 
whole  to  be  drawn  upwai'ds  majestically,  like  the 
curtain  of  a  gorgeous  theatre." 

Around  these  islands  the  water  is  frequently  shal- 
low, a  fact  made  sufficiently  obvious  by  its  colour: 
instead  of  the  deep-blue  tint  which  marks  the  un- 
fathomed  Ocean,  the  water  on  these  shoals  becomes 
of  a  bright  pea-green,  caused  by  the  nearness  of 
the  yellow  sands  at  the  bottom;  and  the  shallower 
the  water,  the  paler  is  the  tint.  The  light  thrown 
upwards  by  reflection  upon  the  under  part  of  the 
swollen  sails,  transfers  the  same  hue  to  them,  giving 
them  a  singular  aspect;  but  once  I  observed  a  still 
more  curious  appearance,  arising  from  the  same 
cause.     Being  becalmed  off  one  of  the  little  Keys 


THE    ATLANTIC    OCEAN.  219 

of  the  Florida  Reef,  the  crew  had  been  amusing 
themselves  with  fishing,  in  which  they  had  been 
very  successful.  An  Osprey  (ffaliceetus  ossifragus), 
attracted,  doubtless,  by  the  fish  that  lay  in  profu- 
sion about  the  decks,  was  slowly  sailing  around, 
occasionally  alighting  on  the  ropes  and  spars.  As 
he  hovered  overhead,  turning  his  head  from  side  to 
side,  every  feather  was  distinctly  seen;  but  from 
the  reflection  of  the  water  beneath,  all  his  under 
parts,  which  are  pure  white,  appeared  of  a  fine  pea- 
green,  and  it  was  only  on  catching  a  side-glance  at 
him,  that  I  discovered  his  true  colour,  and  identified 
the  species.  It  is  very  pleasing  to  peer  down  into 
the  varying  depths,  especially  in  the  clear  waters  of 
these  seas,  and  look  at  the  many-coloured  bottom; 
sometimes  a  bright  pearly  sand,  spotted  with  shells 
and  corals;  then  a  large  patch  of  brown  rock,  whose 
gaping  clefts  and  fissures  are  but  half  hidden  by  the 
waving  tangles  of  purple  weed;  where  multitudes  of 
strange  creatures  revel  and  riot  undisturbed. 


"  Come  down,  come  down  from  the  tall  ship's  side; 
What  a  marvellous  sight  is  here! 
Look !  purple  rocks  and  crimson  trees, 
Down  in  the  deep  so  clear ! 

"See  !  where  those  shoals  of  dolphins  go, 
A  glad  and  glorious  band ; 
Sporting  amidst  the  day -bright  woods 
Of  a  coral  fairy  land. 

"See  !  on  the  violet  sands  beneath, 
How  the  gorgeous  shells  do  glide  ! 
0  sea !  old  sea  !  who  yet  knows  half 
Of  thy  wonders  and  thy  pride  ? 


220  THE    OCEAN. 

"  Look,  how  the  sea-plants  trembling  floaty 
All  like  a  mermaid's  locks, 
Waving  in  thread  of  ruby  red, 
Over  those  nether  rocks  ! 

"Heaving  and  sinking,  soft  and  fair, 
Here  hyacinth — there  green, — 
With  many  a  stem  of  golden  growth, 
And  starry  flowers  between. 

"  But  away  !  away  !  to  upper  day  ! 
For  monstrous  shapes  are  here  ; 
Monsters  of  dark  and  wallowing  bulk, 
And  horny  eyeballs  drear  : 

"The  tusked  mouth  and  the  spiny  fin, 
Speckled  and  warted  back, 
The  glittering  swift  and  flabby  slow, 
Ramp  through   this  deep  sea  track. 

"Away  !  away  !  to  upper  day  ! 

To  glance  o'er  the  breezy  brine, 
And  see  the  nautilus  gladly  sail, 
The  flying-fish  leap  and  shine  !" 

While  pursuing  our  pleasant  course  amidst  these 
sandy  keys,  we  may  often  observe  the  Green  Turtle 
(C)ielonia  mydas)  swimming  or  floating  at  the  sur- 
face. In  general  it  is  difficult  to  approach  them 
within  less  than  a  few  yards,  as  they  are  very  wary, 
and  dive  with  great  rapidity.  The  shoals  and  reefs 
surrounding  the  islands,  where  the  sun  penetrates 
and  warms  the  water,  are  favourite  resorts  of  these 
marine  Reptiha;  and  here,  too,  grow  in  abundance 
the  sea- plants  (Zostera,  &c.)  on  which  they  feed. 
At  night,  the  females  land  on  the  low  sandy  beaches, 
and  after  examining  the  place  with  great  caution 
and  circumspection,  lay  their  eggs  in  holes,  which 
they  scoop  out  with    their  fin  like  feet.     The  work 


THE    ATLANTIC    OCEAN.  221 

being  accomplished,  the  sand  is  again  scraped  back 
over  the  eggs,  and  the  surface  made  smooth  as  before. 
The  sun  soon  hatches  the  eggs,  and  the  little  Turtles 
crawling  forth  from  the  sand,  betake  themselves  to 
the  sea.  The  usefulness  of  this  animal  as  an  article 
of  luxurious  food  is  well  known  ;  but  its  real  value 
can  only  be  appreciated,  when  we  view  it  as  afford- 
ing an  immediate  relief  from  the  horrors  of  scurvy, 
which,  arising  from  the  constant  use  of  salted  pro- 
visions, has  often  proved  so  terrible  a  scourge  in 
long  voyages.  There  is  a  peculiarity  in  the  struc- 
ture of  the  heart  of  this  and  kindred  animals,  which 
is  worthy  of  notice.  In  man  and  other  warm-blooded 
animals,  the  blood  is  brought  by  the  veins  to  the 
heart,  and  poured  into  a  chamber  called  the  right 
auricle;  a  communication  exists  between  this  and 
a  second  chamber,  called  the  right  ventricle;  from 
the  latter  the  blood  is  forced  through  a  large  ar- 
tery to  the  lungs,  to  be  renewed  by  exposure  to  the 
air;  from  the  lungs  it  is  sent  through  veins  to  a 
third  chamber  of  the  heart,  called  the  left  auricle, 
and  thence  into  a  fourth,  called  the  left  ventricle, 
from  which  the  great  artery,  called  the  aorta,  carries 
it  again  into  the  whole  body.  Thus,  no  particle  of 
the  blood  can  be  conveyed  again  into  the  system 
without  having  passed  through  the  lungs ;  but  in  the 
Turtle  the  case  is  different.  All  the  four  cham- 
bers of  the  heart  are  present,  but  there  is  a  commu- 
nication open  between  the  left  and  right  ventricles ; 
and  the  aorta  and  pulmonary  artery  both  originate 
from  the  right  ventricle.  In  consequence,  a  part 
only  of  the  blood  is  sent  thence  to  the  lungs,  which, 

T  2 


222  THE   OCEAN. 

returning  through  the  left  auricle  and  ventricle,  is 
thrown  into  the  right  vodricle,  and  mixed  with  that 
which  is  just  brought  from  the  body ;  the  mixed 
blood  being  partly  returned  to  the  body  through  the 
aorta,  and  partly  sent  to  the  lungs.  But  this  is  the 
course  only  when  the  animal  is  breathing ;  and  as  a 
large  part  of  its  life  is  passed  under  water,  this  con- 
trivance enables  the  circulation  to  go  on  under  cir- 
cumstances when  breathing  necessarily  ceases.  For 
if  no  air  enters  the  lungs,  the  blood  cannot  pass 
through  them;  therefore,  when  under  water,  the 
blood  passing  through  the  right  auricle  and  ventricle, 
is  immediately  sent  by  the  aorta  into  the  body  with- 
out any  exposure  to  the  air.  Of  course,  as  the  blood 
thus  unrenewed  would  become  more  and  more  im- 
pure, this  could  not  proceed  very  long  without  loss 
of  life,  and  hence  there  is  a  limit  to  the  period 
during  which  the  breathing  may  be  suspended,  when 
the  animal  must  come  to  the  surface  or  die. 

Many  of  the  fishes  of  these  seas  partake  of  the 
brilliancy  of  colour  with  which  the  birds  and  insects 
of  the  same  sunny  region  are  so  lavishly  adorned. 
I  have  seen  some  of  great  beauty  readily  captured 
with  a  hook  from  the  deck  of  a  vessel  in  shallow 
water ; — such  as  the  Yellow-fin  (Spams  synagris^ 
Lixx.),  which  has  its  body  marked  with  longitudinal 
bands  of  delicate  pink  and  yellow  alternately;  the 
fins  are  bright  yellow,  and  the  tail  fine  pale  crimson. 
A  larger  species,  which  the  seamen  denominated  the 
Market-fish  (Labrus  anthvis,  L.),  is  all  over  of  a 
silvery  tint  with  a  ruddy  glow,  the  fins  and  tail 
bright  crimson  ;  this  species  has  very  large    scales. 


THE   ATLANTIC    OCEAN.  223 

Then  there  is  the  Hog- fish  {Labrus  flavus,  L.  ?),  of 
singular  beauty,  shaped  somewhat  like  a  perch,  with 
silvery  grey  scales ;  the  head  marked  all  over  with 
streaks  of  brilliant  violet  blue,  fantastically  arranged, 
somewhat  like  the  stripes  upon  the  head  of  the 
Zebra.  Still,  however,  even  here  there  is  some 
deformity ;  at  least,  every  thing  does  not  accord  with 
our  habitual  ideas  of  comeliness ;  these  beauties  are 
set  off,  as  by  a  foil,  by  the  visage  of  the  Cat-fish 
[Silwrus  catus),  a  creature  of  remarkably  hideous 
aspect,  but  which  is  esteemed  as  food. 

In  some  of  the  quiet  nooks  and  sheltered  bays 
of  these  lovely  islands,  where  the  vegetation  is  green 
and  luxuriant  to  the  water's  edge,  we  may  catch 
a  sight  of  a  herd  of  Manatees,  or  Sea-Cows.  These 
animals  are  usually  classed  with  the  Whales,  but 
they  seem,  indeed,  to  be  much  more  intimately  con- 
nected with  the  Pachydermata,  an  order  that  con- 
tains the  Elephant  and  Hippopotamus.  The  form  is 
long  and  tapering,  but  plump,  and  has  been  com- 
pared to  that  of  a  filled  wine-skin  or  leather  bottle. 
The  hinder  feet  are  altogether  wanting,  but  the  fore 
limbs  assume  the  appearance  of  broad  flat  fins  or 
flippers,  the  fingers  of  which  are  not  separated  ex- 
ternally, but  can  be  distinctly  felt  through  the  skin; 
and  the  nails  or  claws  by  which  the  paw  is  termi- 
nated, sufficiently  indicate  their  presence.  These 
creatures  are  perfectly  inoffensive  in  their  manners, 
timid,  and  retiring;  they  delight  in  secluded  places, 
shallow  creeks,  and  particularly  the  mouths  of  the 
great  South  American  rivers,  often  proceeding  many 
miles  up  the  country.     For  such  situations  they  are 


224  THE   OCEAN. 

peculiarly  adapted ;  "the  broad  valleys  of  these  re- 
gions, parched  up  to  barrenness  in  the  dry  season, 
and  then  inundated,  so  as  to  resemble  seas  during 
the  periodical  rains,  would  not  be  suited  to  the  capa- 
cities of  a  terrestrial  ruminant;  but  the  aquatic 
habits  of  the  Manatee  enable  it  to  avail  itself  of  the 
rich  and  abundant  vegetation  of  the  watery  expanse, 
as  well  as  to  range  the  coast  when  it  is  parched  up 
by  the  returning  drought.  Being  exclusively  her- 
bivorous, the  flesh  is  highly  esteemed  ;  its  flavour  is 
thought  to  resemble  that  of  excellent  pork,  though 
by  some  it  has  been  rather  compared  to  beef.  Hunt- 
ins  this  animal  is  a  favourite  amusement  in  the 
countries  of  its  resort;  a  party  proceed  in  a  small 
boat  to  its  haunt,  furnished  with  a  harpoon,  to 
which  is  attached  a  stout  line ;  when  the  weapon 
is  infixed,  the  creature  dives;  in  the  meanwhile  the 
boat  is  rowed  ashore,  and  the  Manatee,  exhausted 
by  its  efforts  to  escape,  is  drawn  on  land  by  the 
cord,  and  despatched.  Many  of  its  habits  are  ex- 
ceedingly interesting:  it  is  fond  of  sporting  in  the 
water,  and  leaping  from  the  surface  in  the  manner 
of  the  true  Getacea.  Such  is  the  attachment  evinced 
by  these  animals  for  each  other,  that  it  is  said,  when 
one  is  harpooned,  the  rest  of  the  herd  will  assemble, 
and  endeavour  to  drag  out  the  harpoon  with  their 
teeth.  When  basking  on  the  shore,  the  young  are 
collected  into  the  centre  of  the  group  for  protec- 
tion, and  if  a  calf  has  been  killed,  the  mother  will 
suffer  herself  to  be  secured  without  effort;  while, 
on  the  other  hand,  if  the  dam  be  taken,  the  young 
will  follow  the  boat  to  the  shore. 


THE  PACIFIC   OCEAN. 


When  the  astonishing  sagacity  and  enterprise  of 
the  Genoese  had  discovered  the  confines  of  a  new 
world  across  the  trackless  Atlantic,  it  was  without 
hesitation  concluded,  not  only  by  himself,  but  by 
all  Europe,  that  the  new  land  formed  the  extreme 
eastern  shore  of  Asia;  and  hence  the  name  of  Indies, 
by  this  mistake,  was  given  to  these  islands,  which 
has  been  perpetuated  even  to  the  present  time. 
Aware  of  the  round  form  of  the  earth,  the  geogra- 
phers of  that  age  could  well  conceive  the  possibility 
of  reaching  India  by  a  westerly  course;  but,  igno- 
rant of  the  magnitude  of  the  globe,  they  had  formed 
a  very  inadequate  idea  of  its  existence,  being  totally 
unaware  of  the  vast  continent,  and  still  vaster  ocean, 
which  separated  Asia  from  the  Atlantic.  But  as, 
impelled  by  an  insatiable  thirst  for  gold,  the  unprin- 
cipled Spaniards  pushed  their  career  of  robbery  and 
murder  farther  and  farther  into  the  continent,  they 
began  to  hear  tidings  of  a  boundless  sea,  which 
stretched  away  to  the  south  and  west,  beyond  the 
horizon  of  the  setting  sun.  Balboa,  one  of  the  reck- 
less spirits  who  sought  fortune  and  fame  at  all  ha- 
zards in  the  newly-found  regions,  boldly  determined 
to  seek  the  sea  of  which  the  Indians  spake.  At  the 
head  of  a  little  band  of  men,  guided  by  a  Mexican, 

1*  (225) 


226 


THE    OCEAN. 


he  succeeded,  after  severe  privations  and  imminent 
dangers,  in  crossing  the  isthmus  that  connects  the 
northern  and  southern  portions  of  the  continent. 
The j  had  arrived  at  the  foot  of  a  hill,  from  the  top 
of  which  the  Indian  assured  him  he  would  obtain  a 
sight  of  the  wished- for  sea ;  when  in  the  enthusiasm 


Balboa  discovers  the  Pacific. 


of  the  moment,  leaving  his  companions  behind,  the 
Spanish  chief  ran  to  the  summit,  and  beheld  a  limit- 
less Ocean  sleeping  in  its  immensity  at  his  feet. 
With  the  spurious  piety  common  to  the  times — a 
piety  that  could  consist  with  the  grossest  injustice, 
the  blackest  perjury,  and  the  most  barbarous  cruelty, 
•—he  knelt  down  and  gave  thanks  aloud  to  God  for 
euch  a  termination  of  his  toils ;  then  having  descend- 


THE   PACIFIC   OCEAN.  227 

ed  the  cliffs  to  the  shore  of  the  Ocean,  he  bathed 
in  its  mighty  waters,  taking  possession  of  it  by  the 
name  of  the  Great  South  Sea,  on  behalf  of  the  King 
of  Spain.  This  was  in  the  year  1513  ;  but  it  was 
not  till  seven  years  afterwards  that  its  surface  was 
ruffled  by  a  European  keel.  Then  Magalhaens  or 
Magellan,  a  Portuguese  navigator  of  great  ability, 
in  the  service  of  Spain,  having  run  down  the  coast 
of  South  America,  discovered  the  straits  which  have 
since  borne  his  name,  through  which  he  sailed,  and 
emerging  from  them  on  the  28th  November,  1520, 
first  launched  out  upon  the  broad  bosom  of  the 
South  Sea.  For  three  months  and  twenty  days  he 
sailed  across  it,  during  which  long  period  its  surface 
was  never  ruffled  by  a  storm ;  and  from  this  circum- 
stance he  gave  to  the  Ocean  the  appellation  of  the 
Pacific,  which  it  still  retains.  The  immediate  vici- 
nity of  the  Straits,  however,  has  been  considered 
peculiarly  subject  to  tempests ;  while  the  almost  con- 
tinual prevalence  of  westerly  winds,  joined  to  the 
severity  of  the  climate,  has  always  given  a  character 
of  difficulty  and  hazard  to  the  passage  from  the  one 
Ocean  to  the  other. 

In  approaching  the  extreme  point  of  South  Ame- 
rica, navigators  have  been  struck  with  the  extraor- 
dinary size  of  a  floating  sea- weed,  the  Macrocysles 
pyrifera  of  botanists.  It  consists  of  a  smooth  round 
stem,  commonly  from  500  to  1000  feet  in  length: 
Foster  mentions  one  which  was  800  feet,  and  some 
specimens  are  reported  even  to  attain  the  enormous 
dimensions  of  1500  feet.  From  the  stem  grow  a 
great  number  of  pear-shaped  air-vessels,  which  end 


228  THE    OCEAN. 

in  long,  flat,  wrinkled  fronds  of  a  semi-transparent 
brown  hue.  I  have  already  spoken  of  the  Gulf- weed 
(Sargassum  vulgure),  as  being  met  with  in  particular 
parts  of  the  Altantic:  similar  collections  of  it  occur 
also  in  these  and  other  seas,  and  much  mystery 
seems  to  lie  about  its  origin  and  mode  of  growth. 
From  specimens  having  been  found  with  roots,  it 
appears  certain  that  in  a  living  state  it  is  attached 
to  the  bottom,  whence  it  is  not  impossible  that  it 
may  be  detached  spontaneously  at  a  certain  period 
of  its  growth,  that  the  seed-vessels  may  be  perfected 
by  exposure  to  light  and  air.  Near  the  shores  sea- 
weeds are  found  so  uniformly  growing  to  rocks  as 
to  form  a  very  valuable  indication  of  the  presence 
of  hidden  dangers.  These  appear  to  be  chiefly  of 
the  former  kind. 

To  these  remote  and  inhospitable  seas  many  ves- 
sels are  annually  despatched  from  this  country,  as 
well  as  from  the  United  States,  in  pursuit  of  various 
species  of  Seals,  and  of  the  Sperm  Whale.  To  obtain 
the  former,  they  resort  to  any  of  the  small  islands 
which  are  scattered  over  the  southern  part  of  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific,  but  particularly  those  which  lie 
around  Cape  Horn.  These  animals  yield  two  valu- 
able products,  oil  and  fur;  but  not  indiscriminately, 
the  oil  being  afforded  by  the  Elephant  Seal  {Macro- 
rhinvs  pmboscideus),  a  singular  animal,  of  large  size; 
being  often  seen  thirty  feet  long,  and  eighteen  round 
at  the  thickest  part.  A  very  remarkable  formation 
of  the  snout  has  given  the  distinctive  name  to  this 
species.  At  a  certain  season  of  the  year,  in  the 
adult   males,  the   skin  of  the   tip  of  the  nose,  which 


THE   PACIFIC   OCEAN.  229 

covers  a  number  of  cells  ordinarily  empty,  becomes 
enlarged  and  lengthened  by  the  blood  that  the  ani- 
mal has  the  power  of  forcing  into  the  cells.  This 
projection  is  now  a  foot  in  length;  but  it  appears 
to  be  nothing  more  than  a  mere  appendage,  some- 
what resembling,  in  more  respects  than  one,  the 
fleshy  wattle  on  the  head  of  the  turkey,  which  can 
be  similarly  inflated.  In  the  spring — that  is,  in  these 
latitudes,  the  months  of  August  and  September — 
the  Elephant  Seals  betake  themselves  to  the  rocky 
shores  in  large  herds:  at  this  time  they  are  exceed- 
ingly fat,  and  a  single  male  will  sometimes  yield  a 
bntt  of  oil.  They  remain  on  shore  until  the  middle 
of  summer,  when  the  young,  which  have  been  born 
in  the  mean  time,  are  fit  to  take  the  water  and  pro- 
vide for  themselves.  As  the  old  ones  have  taken  no 
food  during  the  whole  of  this  period,  they  are  become 
very  lean  and  weak,  but  soon  recruit  their  powers. 
Though  furnished  with  large  and  powerful  tusks, 
and  endowed  with  sufficient  strength  to  use  them, 
the  Sea-Elephant  is  a  most  mild  and  inoffensive 
creature,  suffering  the  seamen  not  only  to  walk 
among  them  uninjured,  but  even  to  bathe  in  the 
midst  of  the  herd  when  swimming,  with  perfect  im- 
punity. In  self-defence,  however,  or  in  defence  of 
their  young,  their  resistance  becomes  formidable. 
One  of  Anson's  men,  having  killed  a  young  one,  had 
the  cruelty  and  rashness  to  skin  it  in  the  presence  of 
its  mother:  but  she,  coming  behind  him,  got  the 
Bailor's  head  into  her  mouth,  and  so  scored  and 
notched  his  skull  with  her  sharp  teeth,  that  he  died 
in  a  day  or  two  afterwards. 

u 


230 


THE   OCEAN. 


Among  themselves,  however,  the  males  are  accus- 
tomed to  fight  at  certain  periods  with  great  fero- 
city. "Their  mode  of  battle  is  very  singular.  The 
two  rival  giant  knights  waddle  heavily  along;  they 
meet  and  join  snout  to  snout;    they  then  raise  the 


Elephant  Seals,  Fighting. 


fore  part  of  the  body  as  fur  as  the  fore  paws,  and 
open  tlieir  immense  mouths;  their  eyes  are  inflamed 
with  rage,  and  they  dash  against  each  other  with  the 
greatest  violence  in  their  power:  now  they  tumble 
one  over  the  other;  teeth  crash  with  teeth,  and  jaws 
with  jaws;  they  wound  eaeh  other  deeply,  some- 
times knocking  out  each  other's  eyes,  and  more  fre- 
quently their  tusks;  the  blood  flows  abundantly; 
but  these  raging  foes,  without  ever  seeming  to  ob- 
serve it,  prosecute  the  combat  till  their  strength  is 


THE   PACIFIC    OCEAN.  231 

completely  exhausted.  It  is  seldom  that  either  is 
left  dead  oil  the  field,  and  the  wounds  they  inflict, 
however  deep,  heal  with  inconceivable  rapidity.  The 
object  of  these  encounters  is  to  obtain  the  lordship 
of  a  herd  of  females,  by  which  a  male  is  always 
accompanied,  and  over  which  he  rules  with  undi- 
vided empire." 

While  on  land,  the  motions  of  these  animals  are 
slow  and  unwieldy,  and  apparently  productive  of 
much  fatigue.  Their  gait  is  described  as  singular : 
as  they  crawl  along,  the  vast  body  trembles  like  a 
great  bag  of  jelly,  owing  to  the  mass  of  blubber  by 
which  the  whole  animal  is  invested,  and  which  is 
as  thick  as  it  is  in  a  whale.  After  having  proceeded 
thus  for  fifteen  or  twenty  yards,  they  halt  to  rest; 
ind  if  forced  to  go  forward  by  repeated  blows,  their 
appearance  presently  manifests  the  distress  to  which 
Jiey  are  subjected  by  the  increased  exertion.  It  is 
remarkable  that,  in  these  circumstances,  the  pupil 
of  the  eye,  which  ordinarily  is  bluish-green,  becomes 
blood- red.  They  do  not,  therefore,  commonly  wan- 
der far  from  the  sea,  but  generally  choose  low  sandy 
shores,  or  the  mouths  of  rivers,  for  their  haunts; 
though  they  have  been  known  to  ascend  hills  of 
twenty  feet  elevation,  in  search  of  some  pools  of 
water.  They  appear  to  be  incommoded  by  the 
direct  beams  of  the  sun ;  and,  to  shelter  themselves 
from  its  influence,  they  have  the  habit  of  scooping 
up  the  wet  sand  with  their  forepaws,  and  throwing 
it  over  their  bodies,  until  they  are  entirely  enveloped 
by  it. 

It  is  for  the  oil  which  is  produced  by  this  species 


232  THE    OCEAN. 

of  Seal  that  many  vessels  are  sent  to  the  islands  of 
the  Pacific,  and  to  the  icy  regions  of  the  Antarctic 
Ocean.  Its  skin,  though  serviceable  as  leather  for 
harness,  &c.,  yields  no  fur,  being  clothed  only  with 
coarse  hair.  The  oil,  however,  is  of  a  very  superior 
quality ;  it  is  clear  and  limpid,  without  any  smell, 
and  never  becomes  rancid ;  it  burns  slowly,  and 
without  smoke  or  disagreeable  odour.  The  hunters 
destroy  the  animals  with  long  lances  :  watching  the 
instant  when  the  Seal  raises  the  left  forepaw  to  ad- 
vance, they  plunge  the  lance  into  its  heart,  when  it 
immediately  dies.  The  fat  is  then  peeled  from  the 
carcass,  and  cut  up  and  packed  in  casks  in  a  similar 
manner  to  that  of  the  Whale. 

The  soft  yellow  fur,  with  a  changeable  gloss,  which 
a  few  years  ago  was  so  much  made  into  caps,  is 
another  product  of  a  South  Sea  voyage.  It  is  the 
covering  of  more  than  one  species  of  Seal,  belonging 
to  a  tribe  called  Otaries,  because  their  heads  are 
furnished  with  external  ears,  of  which  the  others 
are  deprived.  That  which  is  by  eminence  called  the 
Fur-Seal  (Otaria  Falklandica),  is  clothed  externally 
with  long  hair  of  a  grey  hue  ;  but  when  this  hair  is 
pulled  out,  there  is  seen  a  thick  fur  of  great  soft- 
ness, curly  or  wavy,  and  of  a  fine  yellowish  brown. 
The  habits  of  this  animal  are  in  general  similar  to 
those  of  the  Sea-Elephant  just  described:  it  is,  how- 
ever, much  more  active  on  land,  often  escaping  from 
a  man  running.  Its  history  affords  us  an  instance  of 
change  of  instincts  produced  by  experience.  When 
the  Seals  of  South  Shetland  were  first  visited,  they 
had  no  apprehension  of  danger  from  man ;  but  would 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAN.  233 

unsuspectingly  remain  while  their  fellows  were  slain 
and  skinned ;  but  latterly  they  have  learned  to 
guard  against  the  new  dangers,  by  placing  them- 
selves on  insulated  rocks,  from  which  they  can  in 
a  moment  throw  themselves  into  the  water.  We 
may  form  a  notion  of  the  zeal  with  which  this  com- 
mercial enterprise  was  prosecuted,  as  well  as  of  its 
valuable  character,  if  it  had  been  pursued  with  pru- 
dent restrictions,  from  the  fact  that  in  the  years 
1821  and  1822,  there  were  taken  from  the  South 
Shetland  Isles,  320,000  skins  of  Fur-Seals,  and  9-10 
tuns  of  Sea-Elephant  oil.  The  former  valuable  ani- 
mal might,  by  proper  precautions,  have  been  made 
to  produce  100,000  skins  annually,  for  a  long  time 
to  come.  "  This  would  have  followed  from  not 
killing  the  mothers  till  the  young  were  able  to  take 
the  water  ;  and  even  then,  only  those  which  appeared 
to  be  old,  together  with  a  proportion  of  the  males, 
thereby  diminishing  their  total  number,  but  in  slow 
progression.  The  system  of  extermination  was  prac- 
tised, however,  at  South  Shetland  ;  for  whenever  a 
Seal  reached  the  beach,  of  whatever  denomination, 
he  was  immediately  killed  and  his  skin  taken ;  and 
by  this  means,  at  the  end  of  the  second  year,  the 
animals  became  nearly  extinct ;  the  young,  having 
lost  their  mothers  when  only  three  or  four  days  old, 
of  course  all  died,  which,  at  the  lowest  calculation, 
exceeded  lOO^O.'1* 

Other   species   of   Otaries,  which   frequent    these 
seas,  have  large  heads,  clothed  with  long  shaggy  hair, 


*  Weddell's  Voyage,  p.  141. 
v  2 


234  THE   OCEAN. 

which,  falling  down  on  the  neck,  assumes  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  inane,  and  hence  they  are  frequently 
called  Sea-lions.      Of  some  of  these  animals  which 
Captain  Cook  met  with,  he  says  :  "  It  is  not  at  all 
dangerous  to  go  among  them,  for   they  either  fled 
or  lay  still.     The  only  danger  was  in  going  between 
them  and  the    sea;  for  if   they   took   fright  at  any 
thing,  they  would  come  down  in  such  numbers,  that 
if  you  could  not  get  out  of  their  way,  you  would  be 
run  over.     When  we  came  suddenly  upon  them,  or 
waked  them  out  of  their  sleep  (for  they  are  sluggish, 
sleepy    animals),  they  would    raise  up    their  heads, 
snort  and  snarl,  and  look  fierce,  as  if  they  meant  to 
devour   us;  but    as   we  advanced   upon   them,  they 
always  ran  away,  so  that  they  are  downright  bullies." 
Like  the  Sea-Elephant,   however,  they  are  quarrel- 
some   among    themselves.     They    often    seize    each 
other  with  a  degree  of  rage  which  is  not  to  be  de- 
scribed ;  and  many  of  them  are  seen  with  deep  gashes 
on   their   backs,  which  they  had   received  in  these 
wars.     Others  of  the  eared  Seals  are  fierce  and  fear- 
less towards  man  himself.    Woodes  Rogers  describes 
one  which  he  met  with  at  the  Galapagos,  which  he 
calls  a  Sea-bear,  probably   of  a  species  [Olaria  ur- 
sina)  common  in  the  seas  of  which  I  am  speaking. 
He  says,    "  A    very  large  one    made    at  me    three 
several  times;  and  if  I  had  not  happened  to  have 
a  pikestaff  headed  with,  iron,  he  might  have  killed 
me.      I    was    on    the   level    sand    when    he    came 
open-mouthed  at  me  fron   the  water,  as  fierce  and 
quick  as  an  angry  dog  let  loose.     All  the  three  times 
he  made  at  me,   I  struck  the  pike  into  his  breast, 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAX.  235 

which  at  last  forced  him  to  retire  into  the  water, 
snarling  with  an  ugly  noise,  and  showing  his  long 
teeth."* 

Dividing  the  dominion  of  these  inhospitable  islands 
with  the  Seals,  may  be  seen  myriads  of  Penguins; 
curious  birds,  which  seem  to  be  the  link  which  con- 
nects the  feathered  with  the  finny  race.  Their 
little  wings,  destitute  of  quills,  but  covered  with  stiff 
scaly  feathers,  hang  down  by  their  sides,  perfectly 
incompetent  to  lift  them  from  the  ground,  resem- 
bling in  shape  the  fins  of  a  fish,  or  still  more  the 
flippers  of  a  turtle.  But  see  the  Penguin  in  the 
water ;  the  deficiency  of  flight  is  abundantly  com- 
pensated by  the  power  and  agility  it  possesses  in 
this  element:  it  dashes  along  over  the  surface  in 
gallant  style,  or  diving,  shoots  through  the  water 
with  the  rapidity  of  a  fish,  urging  its  course  by  the 
united  action  of  its  finny  wings  and  its  broad 
webbed  feet;  then,  coming  again  to  the  top,  leaps 
over  any  obstacle  in  its  course,  many  feet  at  a  bound, 
and  pursues  its  way.  On  the  sandy  shores  or  flat 
rocks  in  the  Southern  Ocean,  the  Penguins,  of  several 
species,  assemble  in  innumerable  multitudes,  for  the 
purpose  of  hatching  their  eggs  and  rearing  their 
young.  The  feet  are  placed  very  far  back  on  the 
body,  so  that  the  bird  assumes  an  erect  position  when 
resting  or  walking  on  land  ;  and  from  their  posture, 
their  colours,  their  numbers,  and  their  orderly  ar- 
rangement, they  have  been  compared,  when  seen  at  a 
distance,  to  an  army  of  disciplined  soldiers.  One  voy- 
ager likens  them  to  a  troop  of  little  children  standing 

*  Kerr's  Voyages,  x.  374, 


236  TIIE   OCEAN. 

up  in  white  aprons,  from  their  white  bellies  contrast- 
ing with  their  blue  backs.  The  presence  of  these 
birds  is  described  as  greatly  increasing  the  dreary 
character  of  these  desolate  regions ;  their  perfect 
indiiference  to  man  conveying  an  almost  awful  im- 
pression of  their  loneliness.  The  intrusion  of  sea- 
men even  into  the  very  midst  of  them  causes  no 
alarm;  no  resistance  is  offered,  no  escape  is  attempted; 
the  birds  immediately  gaze  around  with  a  sidelong 
glance  at  the  visitors,  but  they  move  not  from  their 
eggs,  standing  quietly  while  their  companions  are 
one  by  one  knocked  on  the  head,  and  waiting  with- 
out dread  till  their  own  turn  comes.  We  can  scarcely 
form  an  adequate  idea  of  one  of  these  camps  or 
towns,  as  they  have  been  appropriately  called.  A 
space  of  ground,  covering  three  or  four  acres,  is  laid 
out  and  levelled,  and  then  divided  into  squares  for 
the  nests,  as  accurately  as  if  done  by  a  surveyor : 
between  these  compartments  they  march  and  coun- 
termarch with  an  order  and  regularity  that  remind 
one  of  soldiers  on  parade.  But  what  shall  we  say  to 
a  colony  of  these  birds,  the  King  Penguin  (Apteno- 
dytes  pataehonka),  which  was  seen  by  Mr.  G.  Ben- 
nett, on  Macquarie  Island?  It  covered  thirty  or 
forty  acres;  and  though  no  conjecture  could  possibly 
be  formed  of  the  number  of  birds  composing  the 
town,  yet  some  notion  of  its  amazing  amount  may 
be  given  from  the  fact,  that  during  the  whole  day 
and  night  30,000  or  40,000  are  continually  binding, 
and  as  many  going  to  sea.  There  -are  three  principal 
species,  which  inhabit  the  southern  portion  •>["  the 
globe,   which  bear  great  resemblance  to  eacli  other 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAN. 


237 


in  manners,  and  generally  are  found  in  company. 
These  are  the  one  just  mentioned,  the  Crested  Pen- 
guin (A.  chrysocome),  and  the  Jackass  Penguin  (A. 
demersa).  The  latter  has  obtained  its  title  from  its 
nightly  habit  of  emitting  discordant  sounds,  which 


Penguins. 


have  been  likened  to  the  effusions  of  our  humble 
sonorous  friend  of  the  common.  This  species  seems 
to  deviate  from  the  general  manner  of  breeding,  as 
it  burrows  on  the  sandy  hills,  and  is  more  sensible 
of  injury  than  its  fellows.  For  Forster  describes  the 
ground  as  every  where  so  much  bored,  that  a  person 


238  THE   OCEAN. 

in  walking  often  sinks  up  to  the  knees;  and  if  the 
Penguin  chance  to  be  in  her  hole,  she  revenges  her- 
self on  the  passenger  by  fastening  on  his  legs,  which 
she  bites  very  hard. 

The  following  notices  of  these  singular  birds,  by 
those  who  have  seen  them  in  their  haunts,  are  inte- 
resting, as  illustrative  of  their  economy: — "One  day," 
says  Mr.  Darwin,  "having  placed  myself  between 
a  Penguin  and  the  water,  I  was  much  amused  by 
watching  its  habits.  It  was  a  brave  bird;  and,  till 
reaching  the  sea,  it  regularly  fought  and  drove  me 
backwards.  Nothing  less  than  heavy  blows  would 
have  stopped  him;  every  inch  gained  he  firmly  kept, 
standing  close  before  me,  erect  and  determined. 
When  thus  opposed,  he  continually  rolled  his  head 
from  side  to  side  in  a  very  odd  manner,  as  if  the 
.power  of  vision  lay  only  in  the  anterior  and  basal 
part  of  each  eye.  This  bird  is  commonly  called  the 
Jackass  Penguin,  from  its  habit,  while  on  shore,  of 
throwing  its  head  backwards,  and  making  a  loud 
strange  noise,  very  like  the  braying  of  that  animal; 
but  while  at  sea  and  undisturbed,  its  note  is  very 
deep  and  solemn,  and  is  often  heard  in  the  night- 
time. In  diving,  its  little  plumeless  wings  are  used 
as  fins;  but  on  the  land,  as  front  legs.  When  crawl- 
ing (it  may  be  said  on  four  legs)  through  the  tus- 
socks, or  on  the  side  of  a  grassy  clilT,  it  moved  so 
very  quickly  that  it  might  readily  have  been  mis- 
taken for  a  quadruped.  When  at  sea  and  fishing, 
it  comes  to  the  surface  for  the  purpose  of  breathing, 
with  such  a  spring,  and  dives  again  so  instantane- 
ously, that  I  defy  any  one  at  first  sight  to  be  sure 


THE   PACIFIC   OCEAN".  239 

that  it  is  not  a  fish  leaping  for  sport."*  Of  the  same 
species,  apparently,  Captain  Fitzroy  thus  speaks  : — - 
"  Multitudes  of  Penguins  were  swarming  together 
in  some  parts  of  the  island  [Noir  Island],  among  the 
bushes  and  tussocks  near  the  shore,  having  gone 
there  for  the  purposes  of  moulting  and  rearing  their 
young.  They  were  very  valiant  in  self-defence,  and 
ran,  open-mouthed,  by  dozens,  at  any  one  who  in- 
vaded their  territory,  little  knowing  how  soon  a  stick 
could  scatter  them  on  the  ground.  The  young  were 
good  eating,  but  the  others  proved  to  be  black  and 
tough  when  cooked.  The  manner  in  which  they 
feed  their  young  is  curious,  and  rather  amusing . 
the  old  bird  gets  on  a  little  eminence,  and  make.- 
a  great  noise,  between  clacking  and  braying,  hold 
ing  its  head  up  in  the  air,  as  if  it  were  haranguing 
the  penguinnery,  while  the  young  one  stands  close  to 
it,  but  a  little  lower.  The  old  bird  having  continued 
its  clatter  for  about  a  minute,  puts  its  head  down, 
and  opens  its  mouth  widely,  into  which  the  young 
one  thrusts  its  head,  and  then  appears  to  suck  from 
the  throat  of  its  mother  for  a  minute  or  two,  after 
which  the  clatter  is  repeated,  and  the  young  one 
is  again  fed;  this  continues  for  about  ten  minutes. 
I  observed  some  that  were  moulting  make  the  same 
noise,  and  then  apparently  swallow  what  they  thus 
supplied  themselves  with;  so,  in  this  way,  I  suppose, 
they  are  furnished  with  subsistence  during  the  time 
they  cannot  seek  it  in  the  water."f  Mr.  AVeddell 
observes  of  the    King  Penguins : — "  In  pride  these 

♦Voyages  of  Adventure  and  Beagle,  iii.  256.         f  Ibid.  i.  387. 


240  THE   OCEAN. 

birds  are  perhaps  not  surpassed  even  by  the  pea- 
cock, to  which,  in  beauty  of  plumage,  they  are  indeed 
very  little  inferior.  During  the  time  of  moulting, 
they  seem  to  repel  each  other  with  disgust,  on 
account  of  the  ragged  state  of  their  coats;  but  as  they 
arrive  at  the  maximum  of  splendour,  they  re-assem- 
ble, and  no  one  who  has  not  completed  his  plumage 
is  allowed  to  enter  the  community.  Their  frequently 
looking  down  their  front  and  sides,  in  order  to  con-  . 
template  the  perfection  of  their  exterior  brilliancy, 
and  to  remove  any  speck  which  might  sully  it,  is 
truly  amusing  to  an  observer. 

"About  the  beginning  of  January  they  pair  and 
lay  their  eggs.  During  the  time  of  hatching,  the 
male  is  remarkably  assiduous,  so  that  when  the  hen 
has  occasion  to  go  off  to  feed  and  wash,  the  egg  is 
transported  to  him;  which  is  done  by  placing  their 
toes  together,  and  rolling  it  from  the  one  to  the 
other,  using  their  beaks  to  place  it  properly.  As 
they  have  no  nest,  it  is  to  be  remarked  that  the  egg 
is  carried  between  the  tail  and  legs,  where  the  female, 
in  particular,  has  a  cavity  for  the  purpose. 

"The  hen  keeps  charge  of  her  young  nearly  a 
twelvemonth,  during  which  time  they  change  and 
complete  their  plumage;  and  in  teaching  them  to 
swim,  the  mother  has  frequently  to  use  some  arti- 
fice; for  when  the  3roung  one  refuses  to  take  the 
water,  she  entices  it  to  the  side  of  a  rock  and  cun- 
ningly pushes  it  in;  and  this  is  repeated  until  it  takes 
the  sea  of  its  own  accord."*  All  the  species  arc 
arrant  thieves,  each  losing  no  opportunity  of  stealing 

*  Voyage  towards  the  South  Pole,  p.  55. 


THE   PACIFIC   OCEAN.  241 

materials  during  nest-building  time,  and  even  the 
eggs  from  each  other,  if  they  are  left  unguarded. 
They  are  usually  thought,  when  seen  at  sea,  to 
indicate  that  land  is  at  no  great  distance;  but  this 
indication  is  not  always  correct,  for  they  are  occa- 
sionally seen  very  far  from  any  shore,  and,  indeed, 
with  their  swimming  powers,  one  can  readily  imagine 
that  the  space  of  a  few  leagues  would  be  no  object 
of  concern.  The  Crested  Penguin,  in  particular, 
lives  in  open  sea;  it  has  been  seen  some  hundreds 
of  miles  from  land,  voyaging  in  pairs,  male  and 
female. 

The  chief  object  of  commercial  speculation  in  the 
Pacific  is  the  pursuit  of  the  Sperm  Whale,  than 
which  the  whole  wide  range  of  human  enterprise 
affords  no  occupation  of  more  daring  adventure,  or 
more  romantic  interest.  A  crew  of  thirty  or  forty 
hardy  fellows  leave  their  native  land,  and  boldly 
steer  away  to  the  most  distant  parts  of  the  globe. 
The  tempestuous  sea  of  Cape  Horn  soon  finds  them 
hotly  engaged  in  striking  their  giant  game;  or,  if 
they  find  it  not  here,  they  do  not  hesitate  to  stretch 
away  to  the  shores  of  New  Zealand,  or  even  to 
seek  the  leviathan  of  the  deep  five  thousand  miles 
farther,  in  the  distant  seas  of  China  and  Japan. 
Now  they  are  braving  the  horrors  of  the  Antarctic 
sea,  threading  an  intricate  and  perilous  course 
through  fields  and  bergs  of  floating  ice,  "under  the 
frozen  serpent  of  the  south-,"  anon  they  are  upon 
the  equator,  toiling  with  undaunted  spirit  beneath 
the  rays  of  a  vertical  sun.     The  bleak   and  barren 

rocks  of  the  Horn,  tenanted  by  Penguins,  are  for- 
16  x 


242  TIIE   OCEAN. 

saken  for  the  sunny  isles  of  Polynesia,  and  these, 
again,  for  the  inhospitable  shores  of  Kamschatka. 
Peculiar  dangers  attend  them  in  their  protracted 
voyage;  if  they  escape  unscathed  from  the  storms 
of  the  south,  it  is  to  enter  an  ocean  strewn  with  in- 
numerable reefs  of  stony  coral,  whose  positions  are 
but  imperfectly  indicated  in  charts,  to  touch  one  of 
which  would  be  inevitable  destruction;  if  these  are 
safely  passed,  it  is  to  penetrate  into  a  sea  vexed  with 
the  most  terrible  of  tempests,  the  typhoon.  The 
duration  of  the  voyage  is  protracted  to  a  length 
which  would  justify  our  calling  it  an  exile;  this  is 
no  summer's  trip;  three  and  even  four  years  are 
the  ordinary  periods  allotted  to  this  enterprise.  The 
object  of  the  pursuit,  gigantic  in  size  and  power, 
seems  to  demand  no  ordinary  courage  in  its  assail- 
ant; and  more  especially  in  his  own  element,  when 
he  is  "making  the  sea  to  boil  like  a  pot  of  oint- 
ment," to  venture  to  the  battle  in  a  frail  boat,  needs 
a  hardihood  of  more  than  common  calibre.  The 
moment  of  victory  is  frequently  the  moment  of 
danger;  the  dying  struggles  of  the  lanced  Whale 
are  of  fearful  impetuosity;  the  huge  and  muscular 
tail  lashes  the  Ocean  into  foam,  and  the  long  and 
powerful  lower  jaw,  serried  with  teeth,  snaps  con- 
vulsively in  every  direction.  Timid  as  this  mighty 
animal  usually  is,  instances  are  not  infrequent,  in 
which  a  consciousness  of  strength  has  been  accom- 
panied by  the  will  to  use  it.  The  destruction  of 
the  ship  Essex,  an  American  whaler,  affords  a  re- 
markable instance  of  the  ferocity  and  determination, 
as  well  as  of  the  power,  of  the  Sperm  Whale.     This 


THE    PACIFIC   OCEAN.  243 

vessel  was  whaling  in.  the  vicinity  of  the  Society 
Islands,  when  one  of  these  animals,  having  grazed 
its  back  in  passing  beneath  the  vessel's  keel,  became 
enraged,  and  after  swimming  to  some  distance,  sud- 
denly turned,  and  rushed  with  amazing  force  against 
the  ship.  The  helmsman  vainly  endeavoured  to 
avoid  the  blow,  and  the  animal,  repeating  the  attack, 
stove  in  the  ship's  bows,  when  she  speedily  filled 
and  went  down,  barely  allowing  the  hands  on  board 
time  to  take  to  the  boat.  Those  who  wrere  out  in 
pursuit,  seeing,  to  their  astonishment,  their  vessel 
sink  without  any  apparent  cause,  hastened  to  the 
spot,  and  the  whole  crew  found  themselves  in  open 
boats,  three  thousand  miles  from  the  coast  of  Chili, 
to  which  they  determined  to  proceed,  but  where 
three  or  four  only  arrived,  after  painful  and  pro- 
tracted sufferings. 

The  Sperm  Whale  {Physeter  rnacroceplialus)  attains 
a  greater  length  than  the  Greenland  Whale,  from 
which  it  is  at  once  distinguished  by  the  remarkable 
form  of  the  head.  As  in  the  latter,  the  head  occu- 
pies about  one-third  of  the  entire  length,  but  it 
is  of  the  same  thickness  throughout,  appearing  as 
if  it  had  been  suddenly  cut  off  at  the  muzzle;  so 
that  the  head  bears  no  small  resemblance  to  a  huo:e 
box.  There  is  no  whalebone ;  but  the  lower  jaw, 
which  is  narrow,  and  fits  into  the  upper,  is  armed 
with  a  series  of  sharp  teeth,  which  are  received  into 
hollows  in  the  upper  gums.  The  blow-hole  is  placed 
at  the  front  angle  of  the  head ;  the  eye  is  just  above 
the  inner  corner  of  the  mouth,  and  over  this,  where 
the  head  joins  the  body,  there  is  a  hunch,  called  the 


244  THE   OCEAN. 

bunch  of  the  neck ;  from  hence  the  body  is  nearly 
straight  to  within  one-third  of  its  length  from  the 
tail,  where  there  is  a  larger  prominence  called  the 
hump ;  it  now  rapidly  tapers  away  to  the  tail :  the 
whalers  distinguish  this  tapering  part  by  the  name 
of  "the  small,"  and  the  broad  horizontal  tail,  as  "the 
flukes."  The  whole  of  the  upper  portion  of  the 
square  and  bluff  head  is  occupied  by  a  cavity,  tech- 
nically termed  "  the  case ;"  which  is  not  covered  by 
bone,  but  by  a  thick,  tendinous,  elastic  skin,  and 
lined  with  a  beautiful  glistening  membrane.  This 
cavity  is  filled  with  a  clear  oil,  which,  after  death, 
cools  into  the  substance  well  known  as  spermaceti. 
Some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  capacity  of  the  case, 
from  the  fact  that,  in  a  large  Whale,  it  will  frequently 
be  found  to  contain  ten  large  barrels  of  this  valuable 
product.  Immediately  beneath  the  case  is  placed 
"the  junk,"  a  thick  triangular  mass  of  tough  elastic 
substance,  which  also  yields  a  considerable  quantity 
of  spermaceti.  The  fins  are  comparatively  small,  and 
are  situated  a  little  behind  the  mouth  ;  they  do  not 
appear  to  be  used  in  giving  motion,  which  is  effected 
by  the  tail,  but  in  balancing  the  body,  and  support- 
ing the  young. 

The  general  colour  of  the  animal  is  very  dark 
gre}',  nearly  black  on  the  upper  parts,  but  more  sil- 
very beneath.  Old  males  usually  have  a  large  spot 
of  pale  grey  on  the  front  of  the  head,  when  they  are 
said  to  be  grey-headed.  The  motions  of  these  enor- 
mous creatures  are  exceedingly  curious:  when  mov- 
ing perfectly  at  leisure,  the  Whale  swims  slowly 
along,  just  below  the  surface  of  the  water,  effecting 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAN.  245 

his  progress  by  gently  moving  his  tail  from  side  to 
side  obliquely.  The  bunch  and  hump  may  be  seen 
above  the  water,  and  by  the  disturbance  which  they 
cause  in  cutting  the  fluid,  some  foam  is  produced, 
by  which  an  experienced  whaler  can  judge,  even  at 
some  miles'  distance,  how  fast  the  animal  is  going. 
When  disturbed,  however,  or  from  any  cause  in- 
clined to  increase  his  velocity,  he  uses  a  very  dif- 
ferent mode  of  progression.  The  broad  tail  now 
strikes  the  water  upward  and  downward  alternately 
with  great  force ;  at  every  blow  downward  the  fore 
part  sinks  down  several  yards  into  the  water,  while 
by  the  force  of  the  upward  blow  the  head  is  thrust 
entirely  out  of  the  water.  A  vYhale  can  swim  in 
this  manner,  the  head  alternately  appearing  and 
disappearing,  which  the  seamen  call  "going  head- 
out,"  at  the  rate  of  twelve  miles  an  hour.  It  may 
appear  surprising  that  so  bulky  a  portion  of  the 
animal  as  the  enormous  head,  should  be  so  easily 
thrust  into  the  air,  the  head  being  usually  the 
heaviest  part  of  an  animal :  but  here  we  trace  the 
beneficent  hand  of  God  in  creation,  the  volume  of  the 
head  being  occupied  not  with  dense  bone,  but,  as  we 
have  seen,  with  an  oil  which  is  considerably  lighter 
than  water,  and  which  renders  this  part  the  most 
buoyant  of  the  whole  body.  And  when  we  consider 
that  the  breathing  aperture,  or  blow-hole,  must  be 
projected  from  the  water  for  the  reception  of  air,  we 
see  the  reason  of  this  buoyancy.* 

*  For  most  of  the  particulars  of  the  history  and  pursuit  of  this 
animal  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Beale's  valuable  work  on  the  Sperm 
Whale 

x2 


246  THE    OCEAN. 

Every  thing  connected  with  the  breathing  of  the 
Sperm  Whale  is  performed  with  a  regularity  that 
is  very  remarkable.  The  length  of  time  he  remains 
at  the  surface,  the  number  of  "spoutings"  made  at 
each  time,  the  length  of  interval  between  the  spouts, 
the  time  he  remains  below  the  surface,  before  again 
rising  to  breathe,  are  all,  when  he  is  undisturbed, 
as  regular  in  succession  and  duration  as  it  is  pos- 
sible to  imagine.  This  is  a  circumstance  of  the 
greatest  value  to  the  whaler;  for  though  there  is 
considerable  variation  in  these  particulars  in  different 
animals,  yet  such  is  the  precision  with  which  each 
maintains  his  own  rates  of  movement,  that  Avhen 
the  periods  of  any  particular  Whaie  have  been  ob- 
served, the  whaler  can  calculate,  even  to  a  minute, 
when  it  will  reappear,  and  how  long  it  will  continue 
at  the  surface.  A  large  male,  called  "a  bull  whale," 
usually  remains  at  the  surface  about  ten  minutes, 
during  which  he  spouts  sixty  or  seventy  times; 
then,  to  use  the  nautical  phrase,  "his  spoutings  are 
out,"  the  head  gradually  sinks,  the  "small"  is  pro- 
jected from  the  water,  and  presently  the  "flukes" 
of  the  tail  are  raised  high  in  the  air,  and  the  animal 
descends  perpendicularly  to  an  unknown  depth,  re- 
maining below  from  an  hour  to  an  hour  and  twenty 
minutes,  when  he  comes  up  to  respire  again. 

The  regular  recurrence  of  these  motions  can  be 
depended  on  only  when  the  Whale  is  perfectly  at 
ease;  for,  if  alarmed,  he  dives  immediately,  rising, 
however,  soon  again  to  complete  his  spoutings. 
When  "going  head  out,"  also,  he  spouts  at  every 
projection  of  the    head,  and    much    more   hurriedly 


THE   PACIFIC   OCEAN.  247 

than  usual.  One  would  be  apt  to  suppose  that  a 
creature  so  huge  and  powerful,  would  be  little  the 
subject  of  fear  or  alarm;  but,  in  truth,  it  is  a  re- 
markably timid  animal;  the  approach  even  of  a 
boat  causing  him  to  descend  with  precipitation.  It 
is  graciously  ordained,  that  the  creatures  which  are 
formed  to  contribute  to  man's  comfort  or  sustenance, 
though  many  of  them  are  more  powerful  than  he, 
should  be  impressed  with  such  a  fear  of  him,  as 
in  general  to  be  incapable  of  using  their  superior 
strength  to  his  disadvantage.  "And  the  fear  of 
you,  and  the  dread  of  you,  shall  be  upon  every  beast 
of  the  earth,  and  upon  every  fowl  of  the  air ;  upon 
all  that  moveth  upon  the  earth,  and  upon  all  the 
fishes  of  the  sea ;  into  your  hand  are  they  deliver- 
ed."* But  this  huge  animal  has  other  enemies 
than  man :  equally  with  the  Greenland  Whale,  it 
is  subject  to  the  assaults  of  some  of  the  larger 
predaceous  fishes ;  the  Sword-fish  and  the  Saw-fish 
plunge  into  his  body  their  formidable  snouts,  and  the 
"  Thresher"  leaps  upon  him  from  above.  Mr.  Beale 
records  the  following  incident,  as  reported  to  him 
by  an  eye-witness,  a  gentleman  on  whose  veracity  he 
could  rely.  "  He  stated  that  he  had  been  observing 
a  Sperm  Whale  during  the  time  it  had  remained 
at  the  surface  to  breathe,  which  afterwards  went 
through  the  evolution  of  peaking  its  flukes  in  the 
usual  manner,  and  disappeared.  As  it  was  a  large 
Whale,  and  as  he  knew  it  was  likely  to  remain  under 
water  for  a  considerable  time,  he  scarcely  expected 
to  see  it  again.     However,  in  this  he  was  mistaken ; 

*Gen.  ix.  2. 


248  THE    OCEAN. 

for  after  it  had  disappeared  only  for  a  few  minutes, 
it  again  rose,  apparently  in  great  trepidation,  and, 
as  it  reared  with  great  velocity,  half  of  its  huge 
body  projected  out  of  the  water.  Gaining,  however, 
in  a  few  seconds  the  horizontal  position,  it  went  on 
at  its  utmost  speed,  going  head  out ;  the  moment 
after  which,  he  saw  a  fish,  somewhat  resembling 
a  Conger-eel  in  figure,  but  rather  more  bulky,  and 
to  all  appearance  about  six  or  eight  feet  in  length, 
flying  itself  high  out  of  the  water  after  the  Whale, 
and  fall  clumsily  on  its  back,  which  caused  still 
more  alarm  to  the  immense  but  timid  animal,  so 
that  it  beat  the  water  with  its  tail,  and  reared  its 
enormous  head  so  violently,  that  sounds  from  the 
former  could  be  heard  at  a  great  distance :  it  still, 
however,  continued  its  rapid  career,  receiving  every 
few  minutes  the  unwelcome  visits  of  its  galling 
adversary.  My  informant  had  good  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  some  other  animal  was  at  the  same  time 
attacking  it  from  below ;  for,  on  more  than  one 
occasion,  he  saw  some  animal  dart  at  times  to  the 
surface  with  amazing  quickness,  as  if  engaged  Avith 
great  fury  in  the  contest;  and  which,  he  supposes, 
prevented  the  Whale  from  descending,  in  which  he 
had  the  power,  no  doubt,  if  he  had  not  been  thus 
prevented,  of  leaving  his  antagonists  far  behind. 
The  attack  was  continued  for  a  considerable  time, 
during  which  the  Whale  had  got  a  great  distance 
from  the  ship,  when  it  twice  threw  itself  completely 
out  of  its  native  element,  no  doubt  endeavouring 
to  escape  from  its  tormenting  adversaries  by  this 
act  of  '  breaching,'  and   which   I  have  myself  seen 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAN.  249 

him  do,  after  having  been  unsuccessfully  chased  by 
the  boats."* 

A  Whale  will  occasionally  place  himself  perpen- 
dicularly in  the  water,  his  whole  head  being  visible, 
presenting  a  most  extraordinary  appearance,  like  a 
black  rock  in  the  Ocean:  the  object  of  this  posture 
is  to  take  a  rapid  and  comprehensive  glance  around 
him,  when  he  is  apprehensive  of  danger.  Some- 
times, when  attacked  by  boats,  he  will  carefully 
sweep  his  tail  from  side  to  side  upon  the  surface, 
as  if  to  discover  by  feeling,  the  object  of  his  dread. 
At  other  times,  he  amuses  himself  by  lashing  the 
water  with  the  same  organ,  in  the  most  violent  man- 
ner; covering  the  sea  with  foam,  while  the  strokes 
resound  on  every  side.  Breaching  or  leaping  bodily 
into  the  air,  is  alluded  to  in  the  above  extract. 

The  food  of  the  Sperm  Whale  consists  of  different 
species  of  cuttle  or  squid,  occasionally  varied  with 
small  fish:  to  obtain  these,  Mr.  Beale  supposes  with 
much  probability,  that  he  descends  to  a  consider- 
able depth,  and  remaining  as  quiet  as  possible, 
allows  his  narrow  lower  jaw  to  hang  down  perpen- 
dicularly at  right  angles  with  his  body.  The  whole 
inside  of  his  mouth,  and  particularly  the  teeth,  being 
of  a  glistening  white  hue,  the  squid  are  attracted 
to  visit  it,  and  when  a  sufficient  number  are  within, 
the  mouth  is  supposed  to  be  closed.  That  the  prey 
is  obtained  in  some  other  way  than  by  pursuit  is 
proved  by  the  fact,  that  Whales  are  often  found 
blind,  and  others  with  the  lower  jaw  distorted,  which 
yet  are  in  as  good  condition  as  others.     These  dis- 

•  Beale's  Sperm  Whale,  p.  49. 


250  THE    OCEAN. 

tortions  arise  from  battles  between  old  "bull  whales;' 
they  rush  upon  each  other  with  great  fury,  their 
mouths  wide  open,  each  endeavouring  to  seize  his 
adversary  by  the  lower  jaw.  In  this  manner  they 
often  become  locked  together  by  the  jaws,  and  then 
struggling  with  all  their  gigantic  power,  the  contest 
frequently  terminates  in  the  dislocation  or  fracture 
of  the  jaw.  The  teeth  are  not  used  for  chewing,  the 
prey  being  swallowed  entire. 

In  the  chase  and  capture  of  this  immense  creature, 
as  might  be  expected  from  the  peculiarities  of  its 
habits,  there  are  several  circumstances  that  distin- 
guish it  from  the  Greenland  whale-fishery,  while, 
at  the  same  time,  there  is  a  general  resemblance. 
Ships  of  three  or  four  hundred  tons  are  selected 
for  the  voyage,  strongly  built,  manned  with  a  crew 
of  about  thirty  hands,  and  provisioned  for  four  years. 
A  watch  is  stationed  aloft  immediately  on  leaving  the 
Channel,  although  the  Sperm  Whale  is  rarely  seen  in 
the  Atlantic  north  of  the  equator.  The  look-out  on 
the  mast-head  is  never  interrupted  during  the  voyage, 
or  until  the  cargo  is  completed,  the  men  on  this  duty 
being  relieved  in  succession.  On  a  Sperm  Whale 
being  perceived,  the  intelligence  is  communicated  by 
the  watch  calling  out  aloud  in  a  peculiar  tone,  "There 
she  spouts!"  a  cry  which  fails  not  to  produce  a  gene- 
ral rush  on  deck  of  all  hands.  The  captain  eagerly 
asks,  "Whereaway?"  The  position  of  the  prey  is 
pointed  out,  while  at  every  fresh  spouting  the  watch, 
accompanied  by  every  individual  on  board  who  has 
caught  sight  of  the  object,  vociferates,  "There  again!" 
When  the  spoutings  are  out,  and  the  Whale  descends, 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAN.  251 

the  elevation  of  the  tail  into  the  air  is  announced 
in  the  same  manner  by  "There  goes  flukes!"  The 
reason  of  these  announcements  appears  to  be,  that 
the  times  of  the  animal's  motions  may  be  accurately 
marked  by  the  proper  officers,  though  they  may  not 
see  them  themselves,  as  affording  an  unfailing  crL 
terion  by  which  to  judge  of  his  future  movements. 
On  the  first  signal  being  given,  the  boats,  which  are 
always  kept  in  complete  readiness  at  the  ship's  side, 
are  lowered,  and  the  men  take  their  places  with  joy- 
ous alacrity.  If  not  too  far  off,  they  strain  every 
nerve  to  arrive  at  the  animal  before  his  spoutings 
are  out,  which  in  a  large  bull  Whale  may  be  about 
ten  minutes.  Should  they  be  unable,  however,  to 
effect  this,  they  endeavour  to  mark  his  direction  of 
diving,  and  station  themselves  near  the  spot  where 
they  expect  he  will  break  water.  On  his  reappear- 
ance, the  boats  are  rowed  up  as  silently  as  possible, 
and  the  foremost  harpooner  darts  his  weapon  with 
all  his  force  into  his  side.  The  instant  this  is  done 
he  cries,  "Stern  all!"  and  the  boat  is  withdrawn  with 
precipitation.  The  Whale,  writhing  with  the  agony, 
dives  perpendicularly,  drawing  the  line  of  the  har- 
poon swiftly  through  its  groove:  the  other  boats 
are  ready  to  bend  on  their  lines,  each  of  which  is 
two  hundred  fathoms  long;  for  sometimes  a  Whale 
will  drag  after  him  four  lines  descending  to  the 
depth  of  4800  feet.  Presently  he  is  seen  approach- 
ing the  surface:  "The  gurgling  and  bubbling  water, 
which  rises  before,  also  proclaims  that  he  is  near; 
his  nose  starts  from  the  sea;  the  rushing  spout  is 
projected  high  and  suddenly,  from  his  agitation." 


252  THE    OCEAN. 

On  his  reaching  the  surface,  the  other  boats  infix 
their  harpoons,  while  at  the  same  instant  the  former 
harpooner  thrusts  deeply  his  steel  lance  into  the 
body,  and  "Stern  all!"  again  resounds. 

Now  comes  the  most  dangerous  part  of  the  busi- 
ness; the  Whale  is  in  his  "flurry,"  or  last  agony; 
he  dashes  hither  and  thither,  snaps  convulsively  with 
his  huge  jaws,  rolls  over  and  over,  coiling  the  line 
around  his  body,  or  leaps  completely  out  of  the 
water.  The  boats  are  often  upset,  sometimes  broken 
into  fragments,  and  the  men  wounded  or  drowned. 
Now  the  crimson  blood  is  spouted  from  the  blow- 
hole, and  falls  in  showers  around;  the  poor  animal 
whirls  rapidly  round  in  unconsciousness,  in  a  por- 
tion of  a  circle,  rolls  over  on  its  side,  and  is  still  in 
death. 

The  huge  body  is  now  towed  to  the  ship ;  a  hole 
is  cut  into  the  blubber  near  the  head,  into  which 
a  strong  hook  is  inserted ;  a  difficult  and  dangerous 
operation.  A  strong  tension  is  then  applied  to  this 
hook,  and  by  it  the  blubber  is  hoisted  up,  as  it  is 
gradually  cut  by  the  spades  in  a  spiral  strip,  going 
round  and  round  the  body.  As  this  strip  or  band  of 
blubber  is  pulled  off,  the  body  of  course  revolves,  until 
the  stripping  reaches  "  the  small,"  when  it  will  turn 
no  more.  The  head,  which  at  the  commencement 
of  the  process  was  cut  off  and  secured  astern,  is 
now  hoisted  into  a  perpendicular  position,  the  front 
of  the  muzzle  opened,  and  the  spermaceti  dipped 
out  of  the  "  case"  by  a  bucket  at  the  end  of  a  pole. 
The  "junk"  is  then  cut  into  oblong  pieces,  and  the 
remainder  of  the  head,  with  the  carcass,  cut   adrift. 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAN.  253 

The  oil  is  afterwards  extracted  from  the  blubber 
and  junk  by  exposing  them  to  the  action  of  fire  in 
large  pots,  the  skinny  portions  which  remain  serv- 
ing for  fuel:  and  the  spermaceti  is  purified  in  the 
same  manner.  The  products  are  then  stowed  away 
in  barrels  in  the  vessel's  hold. 

The  following  narrative,  from  the  interesting  work 
of  Mr.  Beale,  gives  us  a  vivid  picture  of  this  excit- 
ing pursuit:  "At  daybreak,  one  fine  morning  in 
August,  as  our  first  mate  was  going  aloft  to  look 
out  for  Whales,  he  discovered  no  less  than  three 
ships  within  a  mile  of  us;  but  they  were  situated 
in  various  directions.  We  soon  discovered  them  to 
be  whalers,  who,  like  ourselves,  were  cruising  after 
the  Spermaceti  Whale,  and,  therefore,  their  appear- 
ance only  had  the  effect  of  redoubling  our  vigilance 
in  the  look-out,  so  that  we  might,  if  possible,  be 
the  first  to  obtain  the  best  chance,  if  one  of  those 
creatures  hove  in  sight.  And  it  was  not  long  be- 
fore a  very  large  Whale  made  his  appearance  right 
in  among  the  ships.  The  water  was  smooth  at  the 
time,  for  we  had  but  a  light  air  of  wind  stirring, 
so  that  our  boats  were  instantly  lowered  without 
the  loss  of  time  of  bringing  the  ship  to.  But,  al- 
though we  managed  matters  as  quietly  and  secretly 
as  possible,  we  found  the  moment  our  boats  quitted 
the  ship's  side,  that  all  the  others  had  been  as  vigi- 
lant as  ourselves,  and  had  also  lowered  their  boats 
after  the  Whale.  The  whole  of  them  immediately 
began  the  chase,  nine  boats  in  all,  being  three  from 
each  ship.  They  all  exerted  themselves  to  the  ut- 
most, and,  as  we  expected,  in  vain;  fur  before  any 


254  THE    OCEAN. 

of  the  boats  had  got  even  near  him,  the  enormous 
animal  lifted  his  widely-expanded  flukes,  and  de- 
scended perpendicularly  into  the  depths  of  the  Ocean 
to  feed.  Those  in  the  boats,  however,  having  no- 
ticed his  course,  proceeded  onwards,  thinking  the 
Whale  would  continue  to  pursue  the  same  direction 
under  water;  but,  as  he  was  going  slowly  at  the 
time  he  was  up,  they  did  not  proceed  more  than  a 
mile  from  the  place  at  which  he  descended,  before 
they  separated  about  a  hundred  yards  from  each 
other,  and  then,  peaking  their  oars,  all  the  men  in 
each  boat  stood  up,  looking  in  different  directions, 
so  as  to  catch  the  first  appearance  of  the  spout,  when 
the  Whale  again  rose  to  breathe.  When  an  hour 
after  his  descent  had  expired,  the  excitement  among 
us  who  were  on  board  the  ship,  became  wound  up 
to  its  highest  pitch.  The  captain,  who  had  remained 
on  board,  ascended  to  the  fore- top-gallant-yard  to 
watch  the  manoeuvres  of  the  boats,  and  for  the 
purpose  of  the  better  ordering  the  signals  to  them, 
or  working  of  the  ship.  All  those  who  were  down 
after  the  Whale  appeared  as  feverish  with  anxiety 
as  ourselves,  for  every  now  and  then  they  were  to 
be  seen  shifting  their  position  a  little,  thinking 
to  do  so  with  advantage;  then  they  would  cease 
rowing,  and  stand  up  on  the  scats  of  the  boats,  and 
look  all  round  over  the  smooth  surface  of  the  Ocean 
with  ardent  gaze.  But  one  hour  and  ten  minutes 
expired  before  the  monster  of  the  deep  thought 
proper  to  break  cover;  and  when  he  did,  then  a 
rattling  chase  commenced  with  the  whole  of  the 
boats,  and  they  really  flew  along  in   line  style,  souie 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAN.  255 

of  them  appearing  to  be  actually  lifted  quite  on  the 
surface  of  the  water,  from  the  great  power  of  the 
rowers ;  and  we  had  the  satisfaction  of  observing, 
that  our  boats  were  quite  equal  to  the  others  in 
the  speed  with  which  they  were  propelled.  But  it 
was  again  a  useless  task,  as  the  Whale  had  outwitted 
those  in  the  boats,  by  having  gone,  while  under 
water,  much  further  than  any  of  his  pursuers  had 
anticipated,  and  they  again  had  the  mortification  of 
witnessing  the  turning  of  his  flukes,  as  he  once  more 
descended  into  the  depths  of  his  vast  domain.  We 
now  knew  to  a  minute  the  time  that  he  would  remain 
below,  while  the  people  in  the  boats  continued  to 
row  slowly  onwards  the  whole  time.  A  fine  breeze 
now  sprang  up,  so  that  we  were  enabled  to  keep 
company  with  the  boats,  keeping  a  little  to  wind- 
ward of  them,  as  the  Whale  was  going  'on  a  wind,' 
as  a  seaman  would  say,  meaning  that  it  was  blowing 
across  him. 

"  When  the  hour  and  ten  minutes  had  again  nearly 
past,  the  nine  boats  were  nearly  abreast  of  each 
other,  and  not  much  separated,  so  that  the  success 
of  first  striking  the  Whale  depended  very  much 
upon  the  swiftest  boat,  especially  if  the  Whale  came 
up  ahead.  We  had  now  all  the  boats  on  our  lee- 
beam,  while  the  ships  were  all  astern  of  us,  the  most 
distant  not  being  more  than  half  a  mile,  so  that  we 
enjoyed  an  excellent  view  of  this  most  exciting  and 
animated  scene.  True  to  his  time,  the  leviathan 
at  length  arose  right  ahead  of  the  boats,  and  at 
not  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant  from  them. 
The    excitement    amoiM    the    crews  of  the  various 


25(5  THE    OCEAN. 

boats,  when  they  saw  his  first  spout,  was  tremeri' 
dous ;  they  did  not  shout,  but  we  could  hear  an  agi- 
tated murmur  from  their  united  voices  reverberating 
along  the  surface  of  the  deep.  They  flew  over  the 
limpid  waves  at  a  rapid  rate:  the  mates  of  the  vari- 
ous boats  cheered  their  respective  crews  by  various 
urgent  exclamations.  '  Swing  on  your  oars,  my 
boys,  for  the  honour  of  the  Henrietta!'  cried  one; 
'Spring  away,  hearties!'  shouted  another;  and  yet 
scarcely  able  to  breathe  from  anxiety  and  exertion ; 
1  It's  our  fish !'  vociferated  a  third,  as  he  passed  the 
rest  of  his  opponents  but  a  trifling  distance.  'Lay 
on,  my  boys!'  cried  young  Clark,  our  first  mate,  as 
he  steered  the  boat  with  one  hand  and  pressed  down 
the  after  oar  with  the  other :  '  she'll  be  ours  yet ; 
let's  have  a  strong  pull,  a  long  pull,  and  a  pull 
all  together !'  he  exclaimed,  as  he  paused  from  his 
exertions  at  the  after  oar,  which  soon  brought  up 
his  boat  quite  abreast  of  the  foremost. 

"  But  the  giant  of  the  Ocean,  who  was  only  a 
short  distance  before  them,  now  appeared  rather 
'gallied,'  or  frightened,  having  probably  seen  or 
heard  the  boats,  and  as  he  puffed  up  his  spout  to 
a  great  height,  and  reared  his  enormous  head,  he 
increased  his  speed,  and  went  along  quite  as  fast  as 
the  boats,  but  for  only  two  or  three  minutes,  when 
he  appeared  to  get  perfectly  quiet  again,  while  the 
boats  gained  rapidly  upon  him,  and  were  soon  close 
in  his  wake.  '  Stand  up !'  cried  young  Clark  to 
the  harpooner,  who  is  also  the  bow-oarsman;  while 
the  same  order  was  instantly  given  by  his  opponent, 
whose  boat  was  abreast  of  our  mate's  with  the  rest 


THE    PACIFIC   OCEAN.  25T 

close  to  their  stems.  The  orders  were  instantly 
obeyed,  for  in  a  second  of  time  both  boat-steerers 
stood  in  the  bows  of  their  respective  boats,  with 
their  harpoons  held  above  their  heads  ready  for  the 
dart;  but  they  both  panted  to  be  a  few  yards  nearer 
to  the  Whale,  to  do  so  with  success.  The  monster 
plunged  through  the  main  quickly,  but  the  boats 
gained  upon  him  every  moment,  when  the  agitation 
of  all  parties  became  intense,  and  a  general  cry  of 
'  Dart !  dart !'  broke  from  the  hindermost  boats, 
who  each  urged  their  friends,  fearful  of  delay.  The 
uproar  became  excessive,  and  while  the  tumult  of 
voices,  and  the  working  and  splashing  of  the  oars, 
rolled  along  the  surface  of  the  deep,  both  the  har- 
pooners  darted  their  weapons  together,  which,  if 
they  had  both  struck  the  Whale,  would  have  origin- 
ated a  contention  between  them,  regarding  their 
claims.  But,  as  it  happened,  neither  of  them  had 
that  good  fortune;  for,  at  the  moment  of  their 
darting  the  harpoons,  the  Whale  descended  like  a 
shot,  and  avoided  their  infliction,  leaving  nothing 
but  a  white  and  green-looking  vortex  in  the  disturbed 
blue  Ocean,  to  mark  the  spot  where  his  monstrous 
form  so  lately  floated.  A  general  huzza  burst  from 
the  sternmost  boats,  when  they  saw  the  issue  of  this 
chase,  thinking,  now,  that  another  chance  awaited 
them  on  the  next  rising  of  the  Whale,  and  they  soon 
began  to  separate  themselves  a  little,  and  to  row 
onwards  again  in  the  course  which  they  thought  he 
had  taken.  Our  captain,  feeling  irritated  at  the  ill- 
success  of  the  mate,  now  ordered  his  own  boat  to 
be  lowered,  intending  to  make  one  in  the  chase  him- 

17  y2 


258  THE  OCEAN. 

self;  but,  just  as  he  had  parted  from  the  ship,  going 
down  a  little  to  leeward,  a  tremendous  shout  arose 
from  the  people  in  our  own  boats,  joined  with  a  loud 
murmuring  from  the  rest  of  the  boats'  crews ;  for 
the  Whale,  not  having  had  all  its  spoutings  out,  had 
now  risen  again  to  finish  them,  and  was  coming  to 
windward  at  a  quick  rate,  right  towards  our  ship. 
The  captain  saw  his  favourable  situation  in  a  mo- 
ment, and  passing  quickly  to  the  bows  of  the  boat, 
he  stood  to  waylay  him  as  he  came  careering  along, 
throwing  his  enormous  head  completely  out  of  the 
water,  for  he  was  now  quite  '  gallied.'  He  soon 
came,  and  caught  a  sight  of  the  boat  just  as  he 
got  within  dart ;  the  vast  animal  rolled  himself 
over  in  an  agony  of  fear,  to  alter  his  course ;  but 
it  was  too  late ;  the  harpoon  was  hurled  with  ex- 
cellent aim,  and  was  plunged  deeply  into  his  side, 
near  the  fin. 

"  As  the  immense  creature  almost  flew  out  of  the 
water  from  the  blow,  throwing  tons  of  spray  high 
into  the  air,  showing  that  he  was  'fast,'  a  triumph- 
ant cheering  arose  from  those  in  our  own  boats,  as 
well  as  from  those  in  the  ship,  accompanied  by  ex- 
clamations loud  and  deep,  and  not  of  the  most  fa- 
vourable kind  to  us,  from  all  the  rest.  But  onwards 
they  all  came,  and  soon  cheerfully  rendered  assist- 
ance to  complete  its  destruction;  but  which  was  not 
done,  however,  without  considerable  difficulty,  the 
Whale  continuing  to  descend  the  moment  either  of 
the  boats  got  nearly  within  dart  of  him.  But  after 
an  hour's  exertion  in  this  way,  six  out  of  the  ten 
boats  which  were  now  engaged  got  fast  to  him  by 


THE   PACIFIC   OCEAN.  259 

their  harpoons,  but  not  one  of  them  could  get  near 
enough  to  give  him  a  fatal  lance.  He  towed  them 
all  in  various  directions  for  some  time,  taking  care 
to  descend  below  the  surface  the  moment  a  boat 
drew  up  over  his  flukes,  or  otherwise  drew  near, 
which  rendered  it  almost  impossible  to  strike  him 
in  the  body,  even  when  the  lance  was  darted, 
although  the  after  part  of  his  'small'  was  perfo- 
rated in  a  hundred  places :  from  these  wounds 
the  blood  gushed  in  considerable  quantities,  and 
as  the  poor  animal  moved  along,  towing  the  boats, 
he  left  a  long  ensanguined  stain  in  the  Ocean.  At 
last,  becoming  weak  from  his  numerous  and  deep 
wounds,  he  became  less  capable  of  avoiding  his  foes, 
which  gave  an  opportunity  for  one  of  them  to  pierce 
him  to  the  life!  Dreadful  was,  that  moment,  the 
acute  pain  which  the  leviathan  experienced,  and 
which  roused  the  dormant  energies  of  his  gigantic 
frame.  As  the  life-blood  gurgled  thick  through  the 
nostril,  the  immense  creature  went  into  his  'flurry' 
with  excessive  fury ;  the  boats  were  speedily  sterned 
off,  while  he  beat  the  water  in  his  dying  convul- 
sions with  a  force  that  appeared  to  shake  the  firm 
foundation  of  the  Ocean."* 

Few  occurrences  in  a  long  voyage  are  more  gene- 
rally interesting  and  exciting  than  the  sight,  and  par- 
ticularly the  speaking,  of  another  ship.  Even  in 
crossing  the  Atlantic  this  is  the  case ;  but  how  much 
more  in  a  voyage  to  the  Pacific,  where  many  months 
may  elapse  without  the  appearance  of  a  vessel !     Tho 

*  Hist,  of  Sperm  Whale,  p.  176. 


260  TIIE   OCEAN. 

call  of  "Sail  ho!"  has  an  electric  effect:  all  the 
telescopes  on  board  are  soon  pointed  towards  her; 
her  rig,  her  canvas,  her  direction,  the  force  of  wind 
she  has,  the  taek  she  is  on,  if  "by  the  wind,"  are 
all  carefully  scrutinized  and  commented  on.  If  the 
courses  of  the  two  vessels,  and  their  positions,  are 
such  that  they  will  approach  very  near  to  each  other, 
they  will  "speak,"  as  a  matter  of  course;  but  there 
are  few  commanders  so  churlish  as  not  to  submit 
to  a  slight  deviation  of  their  course  in  order  to  com- 
municate with  another.  Perhaps  the  stranger  is 
seen  directly  astern,  following  right  in  the  wake,  a 
circumstance  which,  as  far  as  my  own  observation 
extends,  commonly  excites  a  slight  feeling  of  un- 
easiness, and  a  more  than  usual  attention  to  her  ap- 
pearance, powers  of  sailing,  &c.  Though  the  reason 
assures  one  that  the  occurrence  of  a  ship  in  that 
particular  direction,  is  as  likely  as  in  any  other 
quarter,  yet  the  mind  will  recur  to  the  idea  of  pur- 
suit, and  thoughts  of  walking  the  plank,  or  hanging 
at  the  yard-arm,  will  crowd  up  to  the  imagination, 
especially  if  the  locality  happen  to  be  the  West 
Indies,  or  the  Spanish  Main,  or  any  other  sea  ha- 
bitually infested  with  pirates.  But  as  she  gains 
a  greater  nearness,  her  hull  and  rig  indicate  her  to 
be  a  peaceful  trader,  and  presently  the  bunting  is 
run  up  to  the  peak,  and  the  folds  of  England's  fair 
ensign  How  out  upon  the  breeze.  The  approach 
of  a  vessel  is  always  a  pleasing  sight;  her  graceful 
movements,  as  she  bounds  over  the  waves,  the  white 
foam  rolling  up  under  her  bows,  her  taper  masts 
and  spars,  the  elegant  curves  which  the  breeze  gives 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAN.  261 

to  her  running  rigging,  the  white,  plump  sails,  belly- 
ing from  the  wind,  are  all  beautiful;  if  she  is  to 
windward,  her  clean  white  decks  are  visible  as  she 
lies  over,  the  crew  collected  in  the  waist,  or  about 
the  bows,  the  officers  and  passengers  assembled  on 
the  quarter-deck,  gazing  with  equal  curiosity  to  our 
own,  upon  our  appearance;  the  captain  standing 
with  his  speaking-trumpet  in  his  hand  ready  to  seize 
the  moment  of  nearest  approach.  He  raises  his 
trumpet  to  his  mouth — "Ship  ahoy!"  "Ililloa!" 
"What  ship  is  that,  pray  ?  Where  are  you  from  ? 
Where  are  you  bound  ?  How  long  are  you  out  ? 
What's  your  longitude?"  These  and  similar  ques- 
tions are  mutually  asked  and  answered,  each  reply 
being  acknowledged  by  a  slight  motion  of  the  trum- 
pet in  the  air.  If  there  be  opportunity,  the  pre- 
vailing character  of  the  winds  with  each,  the  pros- 
pects of  the  voyage,  the  state  of  the  respective 
crews,  and  other  nautical  subjects,  are  interchanged ; 
but  usually  the  time  afforded  for  speaking  by  the 
vessels  remaining  within  hail,  is  very  brief,  and  they 
again  diverge,  and  soon  are  lost  to  each  other  below 
the  horizon.  Very  often,  from  the  sighing  of  the 
wind  among  the  cordage,  the  working  of  the  ship, 
the  ripple  and  splash  at  her  side,  as  well  as  from 
distance,  while  the  questions  from  being  so  much 
in  course,  are  perfectly  intelligible,  the  answers  are 
almost  inaudible,  and  can  sometimes  only  be  guessed 
at,  the  consonants  being  entirely  lost,  and  the  vowel- 
sounds  alone  heard.  This  will  explain  a  laughable 
incident  which  took   place  a  few  years  ago,  on   the 


262  THE    OCEAN. 

homeward  passage  of  the  John  Bull  transport,  from 
Eio  Janeiro. 

One  fine  starlight  evening,  about  half-past  eight 
o'clock,  the  officer  on  deck  came  into  the  cabin,  and 
announced  that  a  ship  was  hailing.  All  hands  im- 
mediately came  on  deck,  and  the  captain  asked  the 
position  of  the  stranger.  At  that  moment,  "  Ship 
ahoy  I"  was  heard,  the  voice  apparently  being  to 
windward.  A  lantern  was  put  over  the  gangway, 
the  mainsail  was  hauled  up,  and  the  mainyard 
backed,  to  stop  the  vessel's  way.  No  ship  was  to  be 
seen.  "Silence,  fore  and  aft!"  ordered  the  captain, 
for  the  decks  were  now  crowded,  soldiers,  sailors, 
women,  children,  all  were  up.  "Ship  ahoy  !"  again 
came  over  the  waves,  and  "Hilloa!"  answers  the 
captain  at  the  top  of  his  voice.  Every  one  now 
listened  with  breathless  attention  for  the  next  ques- 
tion, expecting  the  name  of  the  ship  would  be  de- 
manded, as  usual:  "Ship  ahoy!"  again  resounded, 
and  several  together  answered  "Hilloa!"  louder  than 
before :  but  no  notice  was  taken  of  the  reply,  and 
no  sail  was  in  sight.  "  It  is  very  strange !"  ex- 
claimed the  captain;  "where  can  she  be?"  One 
thought  she  might  have  passed  them  ;  others  sug- 
gested that  it  might  be  a  pirate-boat  about  to  board. 
The  captain  took  the  hint,  put  the  troops  under  arms, 
cleared  away  the  guns  ready  for  action,  and  double- 
shotted  them.  Silence  being  again  obtained,  "Ship 
ahoy!"  was  heard  again,  and  the  voice  still  seemed  to 
come  from  the  windward.  The  chief  mate  then  sug- 
gested the  possibility  of  some  person  being  on  a  raft, 


THE   PACIFIC   OCEAN.  263 

and  volunteered  to  go  in  a  boat  to  ascertain.  The 
boat  was  lowered,  and  the  two  mates,  with  the  boat's 
crew,  each  armed  with  sword  and  pistol,  rowed  at 
some  distance  round  the  ship. 

On  the  officer's  return,  they  reported  that  they 
could  neither  hear  nor  see  any  thing.  Silence  pre- 
vailed while  they  reported  this  to  the  captain,  every 
one  being  desirous  to  know  the  issue  of  the  search. 
Instantly,  the  same  "  Ship  ahoy !"  was  heard, 
though  much  less  audibly,  and,  apparently,  at  a 
greater  distance  than  before.  The  next  moment 
it  was  heard  much  louder  and  closer.  A  feeling  of 
intense  excitement  now  prevailed  in  each  of  the 
crowd  of  persons  on  board  the  transport.  More  than 
an  hour  had  passed  since  the  ship  was  hove  to ;  every 
one  had  repeatedly  heard  the  stranger's  hail,  coming 
through  the  darkness,  but  nothing  had  been  seen 
of  him,  and  no  further  question  or  answer  could  be 
elicited.  The  screams  of  the  women  and  children, 
and  the  muttering  of  the  men,  showed  that  super- 
stitious dread  of  something  supernatural  and  un- 
earthly was  creeping  over  every  one.  The  captain 
issued  orders  to  shoulder  arms  and  to  make  ready 
the  guns. 

Just  at  this  crisis,  one  of  the  cabin-boys,  who  had 
been  standing  near  the  mainmast,  stepped  aft  to  the 
chief  mate,  and  said,  "It's  a  fowl  in  the  hencoop, 
sir,  that's  a-making  that  'ere  noise."  That  officer 
indignantly  bestowed  on  him  a  sound  box  on  the 
ear  for  his  information,  but  immediately  recollecting 
that  he  was  an  intelligent  lad,  accompanied   him  to 


264  THE    OCEAN. 

the  hencoop  with  a  lantern ;  where  he  saw  a  fowl 
lying  on  its  side.  He  took  it  out,  and  placed  it  on 
the  capstan;  and  there,  in  the  sight  of  the  whole 
company,  was  beheld  a  poor  hen  dying  of  the  croup, 
occasionally  emitting  a  sound  "ee-a-aw,"  which  re- 
sembled the  words  "  Ship  ahoy !"  coming  from  a 
distance,  as  closely  as  any  hail  that  was  ever  heard.* 

*  Naut.  Mag.  1842,  p.  409. 


THE   PACIFIC    OCEAN. 

CONTINUED. 

A  remarkable  feature  in  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and 
one  that  distinguishes  it  from  every  other  sea,  is  the 
immense  assemblage  of  small  islands  with  which  it  is 
crowded,  particularly  in  the  portion  situated  between 
the  tropics.  For  about  three  thousand  miles  from 
the  coast  of  South  America,  the  sea  is  almost  entirely 
free  from  islands  ;  but  thence  to  the  great  isles  of 
India,  an  immense  belt  of  Ocean,  nearly  five  thou- 
sand miles  in  length,  and  fifteen  hundred  in  breadth, 
is  so  studded  with  them  as  almost  to  be  one  con- 
tinuous archipelago.  The  term  Polynesia,  by  which 
this  division  of  the  globe  is  now  distinguished,  is 
compounded  of  two  Greek  words,  signifying  many 
islands.  Very  few  of  these  gems  of  the  Ocean  are 
more  than  a  few  miles  in  extent,  though  Tahiti,  and 
some  in  the  more  western  groups,  are  of  rather  larger 
dimensions;  while  Hawaii,  the  largest  island  in 
Polynesia,  is  about  the  size  of  Yorkshire. 

The  isles,  which  in  such  vast  numbers  thus  stud 
the  bosom  of  the  Pacific,  are  of  three  distinct  forms, 
the  Coral,  the  Crystal,  and  the  Volcanic.  Of  these, 
the  first  formation  greatly  predominates;  but  the 
largest  islands  are  of  the  last  description :  of  the 
crystal  formation  but  few  specimens  are  known. 

Z  (265) 


2G6 


THE    OCEAN. 


Imagine  a  belt  of  land  in  the  wide  Ocean,  not  more 
than  half  a  mile  in  breadth,  but  extending,  in  an 
irregular  curve,  to  the  length  of  ten  or  twenty  miles 
or  more :  the  height  above  the  water  not  more  than 
a  yard  or  two  at  most,  but  clothed  with  a  mass  of 
the  richest  and  most  verdant  vegetation.  Here  and 
there,  above  the  general  bed  of  luxuriant  foliage, 
rises  a  grove  of  cocoa-nut  trees,  waving  their  fea- 
thery plumes  high  in  the  air,  and  gracefully  bending 
their  tall  and  slender  stems  to  the  breathing  of  the 
pleasant  trade- wind.     The   grove   is  bordered  by  a 


Coral  Island. 


narrow  beach  on   each   side,  of  the  most   glittering 
whiteness,     eontrasting    with     the    beautiful     azure 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAX.  267 

waters  by  which  it  is  environed.  From  end  to  end 
of  the  curved  isles  stretches,  in  a  straight  line,  form- 
ing, as  it  were,  the  cord  of  the  bow,  a  narrow  beach, 
of  the  same  snowy  whiteness,  almost  level  with  the 
sea  at  the  lowest  tide,  enclosing  a  semi-circular  space 
of  water  between  it  and  the  island,  called  the  lagoon. 
Over  this  line  of  beach,  which  occupies  the  leeward 
side,  the  curve  being  to  windward,  the  sea  is  break- 
ing with  sublime  majesty ;  the  long  unbroken  swell 
•of  the  Ocean,  hitherto  unbridled  through  a  course 
of  thousands  of  miles,  is  met  by  this  rampart,  when 
the  huge  billows,  rearing  themselves  upwards  many 
yards  above  its  level,  and  bending  their  foaming 
chests,  "form  a  graceful  liquid  arch,  glittering  in  the 
rays  of  a  tropical  sun,  as  if  studded  with  brilliants. 
But,  before  the  eyes  of  the  spectator  can  follow  the 
splendid  aqueous  gallery  which  they  appear  to  have 
reared,  with  loud  and  hollow  roar  they  fall,  in  mag- 
nificent desolation,  and  spread  the  gigantic  fabric 
in  froth  and  spray  upon  the  horizontal  and  gently 
broken  surface."  Contrasting  strongly  with  the 
tumult  and  confusion  of  the  hoary  billows  without, 
the  water  within  the  lagoon  exhibits  the  serene 
placidity  of  a  mill-pond.  Extending  downwards  to 
a  depth,  varying  from  a  few  feet  to  fifty  fathoms,  the 
waters  possess  the  lively  green  hue  common  to 
soundings  on  a  white  or  yellow  ground ;  while  the 
surface,  unruffled  by  a  wave,  reflects  with  accurate 
distinctness  the  mast  of  the  canoe  that  sleeps  upon 
its  bosom,  and  the  tufts  of  the  cocoa-nut  plumes  that 
rise  from  the  beach  above  it.  Such  is  a  Coral 
Island,  and  if  its  appearance  is  one  of  singular  loveli- 


268  THE    OCEAN. 

ness,  as  all  who  have  seen  it  testify,  its  structure, 
on  examination,  is  found  to  be  no  less  interesting 
and  wonderful.  The  beach  of  white  sand,  which 
opposes  the  whole  force  of  the  Ocean,  is  found  to 
be  the  summit  of  a  rock  which  rises  abruptly  from 
an  unknown  depth,  like  a  perpendicular  wall.  The 
whole  of  this  rampart,  as  far  as  our  senses  can 
take  cognizance  of  it,  is  composed  of  living  coral, 
and  the  same  substance  forms  the  foundation  of  the 
curved  and  more  elevated  side  which  is  smiling  in 
the  luxuriance  and  beauty  of  tropical  vegetation. 
The  elevation  of  the  coral  to  the  surface  is  not 
always  abruptly  perpendicular;  sometimes  reefs  of 
varying  depths  extend  to  a  considerable  distance 
in  the  form  of  successive  platforms  or  terraces.  In 
these  regions  may  be  seen  islands  in  every  stage 
of  their  formation:  "some  presenting  little  more 
than  a  point  or  summit  of  a  branching  coralline 
pyramid,  at  a  depth  scarcely  discernible  through  the 
transparent  waters;  others  spreading,  like  submarine 
gardens  or  shrubberies,  beneath  the  surface ;  or 
presenting  here  and  there  a  little  bank  of  broken 
coral  and  sand,  over  which  the  rolling  wave  occa- 
sionally breaks ;"  while  others  exist  in  the  more 
advanced  state  that  I  have  just  described,  the  main 
bank  sufficiently  elevated  to  be  permanently  pro- 
tected from  the  waves,  and  already  clothed  with 
verdure,  and  the  lagoon  enclosed  by  the  narrow 
bulwark  of  the  coral  reef.  Though  the  rampart  thus 
reared  is  sufficient  to  preserve  the  inner  waters  in 
a  peaceful  and  mirror-like  calmness,  it  must  not 
be  supposed    that    all    access  to  them   from  the  sea 


THE   PACIFIC   OCEAN.  269 

is  excluded.  It  almost  invariably  happens  that,  in 
the  line  of  reef,  one  or  more  openings  occur,  which, 
though  sometimes  narrow  and  intricate,  so  as  scarcely 
to  allow  the  passage  of  a  native  canoe,  are  not  un- 
frequently  of  sufficient  width  and  depth  to  permit 
the  free  ingress  of  large  ships.  This  is  a  very  re- 
markable instance  of  the  Divine  care  over  the  little 
creatures  which  rear  these  solid  structures;  they 
appear  to  be  endowed  with  an  instinctive  knowledge, 
that  if  the  roe.f  were  carried  uninterruptedly  along 
from  one  point  to  another,  so  as  completely  to  shut 
in  the  lagoon,  tht3  water  within  would  soon  become 
unfit  to  support  their  existence,  and  would  ulti- 
mately bo  dried  up.  The  advantage  to  man  of  these 
openings  is  very  great;  without  them  the  islands 
might  smile  invitingly,  but  in  vain  ;  no  access  could 
be  obtained  to  them  by  shipping,  through  the  tre- 
mendous surf  by  which  their  shores  are  lashed;  but 
by  these  entrances  the  lovely  lagoons  are  converted 
into  the  most  quiet,  safe,  and  commodious  havens 
imaginable,  where  ships  may  lie,  and  wood  and 
water,  and  refresh  their  crews,  in  security,  though 
the  tempest  howl  without.  It  is  a  scarcely  less 
beneficent  provision  that  the  position  of  the  open- 
ings is  in  most  cases  indicated  so  as  to  be  visible 
at  a  great  distance.  Had  there  been  merely  an 
opening  in  the  coral  rock,  it  could  not  have  been 
detected  from  the  sea,  except  by  the  diminution 
of  the  foaming  surf  just  at  that  spot;  a  circumstance 
that  could  scarcely  be  visible,  unless  the  observer 
were  opposite  the  aperture.  But,  in  general,  there 
is  on  each  side  of  the  passage,  a  little  islet,  raised 

z2 


270  TIIE   OCEAN. 

on  the  points  of  the  reef,  which,  being  commonly 
tufted  with  cocoa-nut  trees,  is  perceptible  as  far  off 
as  the  island  itself,  and  forms  a  most  convenient 
landmark. 

Notwithstanding  that  the  highest  point  of  these 
narrow  islets  is  rarely  more  than  a  yard  above  the 
tide,  it  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  fresh  water  is  fre- 
quently found  in  them.  It  is  probable  that  the  coral 
rock  acts  as  a  filter,  allowing  the  sea- water  to  perco- 
late through  its  porous  substance,  but  excluding  all 
its  saline  particles  held  in  solution. 

Though  I  have  described  the  two  parts  of  a  Coral 
Island,  or  Atoll,  as  it  is  called,  as  distinct,  yet  the 
difference  is  only  in  appearance;  the  foundation  on 
every  side  is  the  same,  a  coral  reef  rising  to  the  sur- 
face :  but  the  side  most  exposed  to  the  action  of  the 
waves  driven  in  by  the  trade-winds,  is  invariably  the 
first  to  be  projected,  and  attains  a  higher  elevation 
than  the  leeward  side.  Neither  must  it  be  supposed 
that  the  belt  to  windward  is  always  continuous, 
though  the  interruptions  are  comparatively  few.  A 
close  inspection  will  likewise  show  that  the  outline 
of  the  whole  reef  possesses  much  less  regularity  of 
form  than  its  aspect  from  a  distance  indicated.  The 
form,  however,  is  invariably  a  more  or  less  close 
approach  to  a  circle.  Sometimes  the  land  is  con- 
tinuous through  the  whole  circumference,  with  the 
exception  of  a  channel  or  two  into  the  lagoon,  which 
presents  the  appearance  of  a  circular  pond  with  a 
verdant  border  surrounding  it;  again,  another  atoll 
will  be  found  which  has  brought  its  ring  of  reef 
scarcely  to  the  surface,  exposing,  perhaps,  a  single 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAN.  271 

T)are  spot  on  the  windward  edge  at  the  lowest  ebb  of 
spring  tide. 

Captain  Basil  Hall  has  recorded  some  pleasing 
observations  on  this  singular  formation,  in  his  voyage 
to  Loo-Choo.     lie  says — 

"  The  examination  of  a  coral  reef  during  the  dif- 
ferent stages  of  one  tide,  is  particularly  interesting. 
When  the  sea  has  left  it  for  some  time,  it  becomes 
dry,  and  appears  to  be  a  compact  rock,  exceedingly 
hard  and  rugged ;  but  no  sooner  does  the  tide  rise 
again,  and  the  waves  begin  to  wash  over  it,  than 
millions  of  coral  worms  protrude  themselves  from 
holes  on  the  surface,  which  were  before  quite  in- 
visible. These  animals  are  of  a  great  variety  of 
ghapes  and  sizes,  and  in  such  prodigious  numbers 
that  in  a  short  time  the  whole  surface  of  the  rock 
appears  to  be  alive  and  in  motion.  The  most  com- 
mon of  the  worms  at  Loo-Choo  was  in  the  form  of  a 
star,  with  arms  from  four  to  six  inches  long,  which 
it  moved  about  with  a  rapid  motion  in  all  directions, 
probably  in  search  of  food.  Others  were  so  sluggish 
that  thpy  were  often  mistaken  for  pieces  of  the  rock ; 
these  were  generally  of  a  dark  colour,  and  from  four 
to  five  inches  long,  and  two  or  three  round.  When 
the  rock  was  broken  from  a  spot  near  the  level  of 
high-water,  it  was  found  to  be  a  hard,  solid  stone ; 
but  if  any  part  of  it  were  detached  at  a  level  to 
which  the  tide  reached  every  day,  it  was  discovered 
to  be  full  of  worms,  all  of  different  lengths  and 
colours,  some  being  as  fine  as  a  thread,  and  several 
feet  long,  generally  of  a  very  bright  yellow,  and 
sometimes  of  a  blue  colour;  while  others  resembled 


272  THE   OCEAN. 

snails,  and  some  were  not  unlike  lobsters  or  prawns 
in  shape,  but  soft,  and  not  above  two  inches  long."* 
Some  of  the  animals  thus  described  by  the  Captain, 
were  doubtless  intruders  that  had  sought  shelter  or 
food  in  the  interstices  of  the  coral :  the  true  archi- 
tects of  these  wonderful  structures  are  polypes  of 
minute  size,  which,  though  of  many  varying  species, 
and  even  genera,  agree  in  the  simplicity  of  their  form 
and  structure.  They  consist  of  a  little  oblong  bag 
of  jelly,  closed  at  one  end,  but  having  the  other 
extremity  open,  and  surrounded  by  tentacles,  usually 
six  or  eight  in  number,  set  like  the  rays  of  a  star. 
Multitudes  of  these  tiny  creatures  are  associated  in 
the  secretion  of  a  common  eton}'  skeleton,  the  coral, 
or  madrepore ;  in  the  minute  orifices  of  which  they 
reside,  protruding  their  mouths  and  tentacles  when 
under  water,  but  withdrawing  themselves  by  sudden 
contraction  into  their  holes  the  moment  they  are 
molested. 

It  was  for  a  long  time  supposed  that  all  the  islands 
of  coral  formation  were  reared  from  their  bases, 
fathomless  depths  in  the  Ocean,  by  the  unaided  efforts 
of  these  minute  creatures;  and  from  exaggerated 
notions  of  the  rapidity  with  which  the  process  was 
going  on,  anticipations  were  frequently  uttered  that 
a  large  portion  of  the  Pacific  might,  at  no  very  dis- 
tant period,  be  occupied  by  the  spreading  structures 
united  into  a  vast  coral  continent.  More  accurate 
observations  have,  however,  satisfactorily  proved  that 
the  living  animals  cannot  exist  at  a  greater  depth 
than  twenty  or  thirty  fathoms,  so  that  the  whole  of 

*  Voyage  to  Loo-Choo,  p.  75.     (Constable's  edit.) 


THE    PACIFIC   OCEAN.  273 

these  animal  secretions  must  have  heen  deposited 
within  that  distance  from  the  surface.  At  the  same 
time,  it  is  no  less  true  that  the  water  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  the  islands  is  fathomless,  and  that  the 
descent  of  their  outer  edge  is  remarkably  abrupt 
and  precipitous.  The  only  satisfactory  explanation  of 
the  phenomenon  appears  to  be  the  one  proposed  and 
ably  supported  by  Mr.  Darwin,  in  his  elaborate 
treatise  on  Coral  reefs.  Many  islands  of  the  com- 
mon rock  formation  are  found  in  the  Pacific,  on  the 
shelving  sides  of  which,  a  few  fathoms  below  water, 
the  coral  animals  have  fixed  their  stony  habitations, 
forming  what  is  called  a  fringing  reef,  distinguished 
from  others  by  being  immediately  attached  to  the 
land,  without  the  intervention  of  any  lagoon  or 
channel  of  water.  Mr.  Darwin  supposes  that  every 
island  in  the  Pacific  originally  presented  this  struc- 
ture, but  that  wherever  a  variation  at  present  exists, 
the  solid  rock  has  been  gradually,  and  perhaps  very 
slowly,  subsiding  to  a  lower  level.  Now,  let  us 
assume  this  state  of  things  for  a  moment,  and  look  at 
the  results.  We  must,  however,  mention  two  well- 
ascertained  instincts  of  the  Polype :  the  one  is,  that 
it  works  up  towards  the  light ;  the  other,  that  its 
proceedings  are  most  vigorous  at  the  outer  edge, 
where  it  is  washed  by  the  beating  waves.  Let  A 
represent  the  section  of  a  rocky  island;  B,  B,  the  level 
of  low- water;  and  D,  the  reef  of  coral  fringing  the 
coast.  After  the  lapse  of  time,  during  which  it  has 
been  subsiding,  the  water-level  stands  at  J,  b;  the 
coral  at  D  has  died  from  the  too  great  depth,  but  the 
animals  have  been  working   upwards  upon  the  dead 


13 


274 


THE    OCEAN. 


matter,  so  that  living  coral  is  still  near  the  surface; 
the  superior  vigour  of  the  species  inhabiting  the  sea- 
ward edge,  however,  has  caused  that  edge  to  be  more 


l!iiH■ili|,,' 

Section  or  Coral  Island. 


elevated  than  the  interior,  as  at  d,  d;  so  that  the 
appearance  is  now  that  of  a  rocky  isle,  diminished  in 
extent,  surrounded  by  a  reef  at  some  distance,  sepa- 
rated by  the  intervention  of  a  shallow  channel,  e,  e: 
this  is  exactly  the  appearance  of  Tahiti  and  the 
larger  islands  generally,  as  I  shall  mention  more  fully 
when  1  come  to  the  volcanic  formation.  The  subsi- 
dence still  goes  on;  and,  after  a  while,  the  water, 
/3,  /3,  is  level  with  the  summit  of  the  island,  which,  of 
course,  is  now  an  island  no  longer;  the  growth  of  the 
coral  has  kept  pace  with  the  depression,  and  it  is 
still  at  the  surface,  as  at  5,  5 ;  the  more  slowly  grow- 
ing species  of  the  interior  are  still  overflowed,  and,  as 
the  island  is  submerged  in  the  centre,  the  water,  f,  f , 
is  no  longer  an  annular  channel,  but  a  round  lagoon  ; 
and  thus  we  have  an  atoll,  as  at  first  described.  The 
subsequent  process  of  elevating  and  clothing  the  new 
islets  is  a  rapid  one.  Chamisso  observes,  "  As  soon 
as  it  has  reached  such  a  height  that  it  remains 
almost   dry  at  low-water   at   the    time   of  ebb,  the 


THE   PACIFIC   OCEAN.  275 

corals  leave  off  building  higher;  sea-shells,  frag- 
ments of  coral,  sea-hedgehog  shells,  and  their  broken- 
off  prickles,  are  united  by  the  burning  sun  through 
the  medium  of  the  cementing  calcareous  sand,  which 
has  arisen  from  the  pulverization  of  the  above-men- 
tioned shells,  into  one  whole  or  solid  stone,  which, 
strengthened  by  the  continual  throwing  up  of  new 
materials,  gradually  increases  in  thickness,  till  it  at 
last  becomes  so  high  that  it  is  covered  only  during 
some  seasons  of  the  year  by  the  spring-tides.  The 
heat  of  the  sun  so  penetrates  the  mass  of  stone  when 
it  is  dry,  that  it  splits  in  many  places,  and  breaks  off 
in  flakes.  These  flakes,  so  separated,  are  raised  one 
upon  another  by  the  waves,  at  the  time  of  high- 
water.  The  always-active  surf  throws  blocks  of  coral 
(frequently  of  a  fathom  in  length,  and  three  or  four 
feet  thick),  and  shells  of  marine  animals,  between 
and  upon  the  foundation  stones.  After  this  the  cal- 
careous sand  lies  undisturbed,  and  offers  to  the  seeds 
of  trees  and  plants  cast  upon  it  by  the  waves,  a  soil 
upon  which  they  rapidly  grow,  to  overshadow  its 
dazzling  white  surface.  Entire  trunks  of  trees, 
which  are  carried  by  the  rivers  from  other  countries 
and  islands,  find  here,  at  length,  a  resting-place,  after 
their  long  wanderings;  with  these  come  some  small 
animals,  such  as  lizards  and  insects,  as  the  first  inha- 
bitants. Even  before  the  trees  form  a  wood,  the  real 
sea-birds  nestle  there;  strayed  land-birds  take  refuge 
in  the  bushes;  and  at  a  much  later  period,  when 
the  work  has  been  long  since  completed,  man  also 
appears,  builds  his  hut  on  the  fruitful  soil  formed 
by  the  corruption  of  the   leaves  of  the    trees,  and 


276  TIIE    OCEAN. 

calls  himself  lord  and  proprietor  of  this  new  crea- 
tion."* 

The  species  of  Polypes  which  contribute  to  the 
formation  of  coral  structures  are  very  numerous, 
and  differ  greatly  from  each  other  in  the  forms  of 
their  respective  habitations.  Some  form  large  round- 
ed masses,  with  numerous  winding  depressions,  as 
the  Brainstones  (Meandrina);  some  are  studded  with 
holes,  filled  with  thin  shelly  plates  placed  perpen- 
dicularly, and  converging  to  a  point  in  the  centre, 
as  Astrcea;  some  assume  the  appearance  of  a  mush- 
room, as  Ayaricia;  but  the  most  general  form  is 
that  of  an  irregular,  branching  shrub.  The  various 
kinds  are  not  found  scattered  indiscriminately  over 
the  whole  edifice,  but  each  occupying  its  own  zone 
and  position,  each  performing  its  own  part,  assigned 
by  God,  in  carrying  up  the  wondrous  architecture. 
The  principal  and  most  important  place  is  filled  by 
the  genus  Parties,  which  occupies  the  outside  of  the 
reef,  at  the  exposed  edge,  constructing  large  rounded 
masses.  The  next  in  importance  is  the  Millepora 
convplanata,  which  forms  thick  vertical  plates,  unit- 
ing at  different  angles  by  their  edges,  so  as  to  pre- 
sent the  appearance  of  a  honeycomb:  the  marginal 
plates  only  being  alive.  These  two  kinds  alone 
are  able  to  endure  the  intermitting  exposure  to 
which  the  upper  edge  is  subject,  in  being  conti- 
nually  washed  over  by  the  surf;  other  species  are 
found  a  few  fathoms  down.  Inside  the  lagoon, 
there  are  quite  distinct  sorts,  generally  brittle,  and 
thinly  branched;  while  great  round  Brainstones 
*  Eotzebue's  Voyage, 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAN.  277 

(Meandnna),  and  flower-like  Caryophilla,  occupy 
the  bottom.  In  the  shallow  hollows  of  the  reef, 
Pocillojwra  verrucosa,  a  species  having  short  waved 
plates  or  branches,  is  found:  when  alive  it  is  a  beau- 
tiful object,  being  of  a  delicate  pale  crimson  hue. 

Conflicting  statements  have  been  made  respect- 
ing the  activity  of  the  building  processes  going  on 
in  the  present  age;  some  affirming  that  the  reefs 
have  acquired  no  perceptible  addition,  either  to 
their  height  or  extent,  since  they  have  been  known; 
others  anticipating  a  speedy  filling  up  of  the  Pacific 
from  their  rapid  growth.  The  truth  seems  to  be, 
that,  while  in  some  localities  no  change  in  extent 
can  be  traced  through  many  years,  in  others  very 
rapid  enlargements  are  made.  As  showing  the  rate 
at  which  coral  grows  under  favourable  circumstances, 
Mr.  Darwin  mentions  two  or  three  interesting  cases. 
In  the  lagoon  of  Keeling  Atoll,  a  channel  was  dug, 
for  the  passage  of  a  schooner  built  upon  the  island, 
through  the  reef  into  the  sea ;  in  ten  years  after- 
wards, when  it  was  examined,  it  was  found  almost 
choked  up  with  living  coral.  Dr.  Allan,  at  Mada- 
gascar, placed  several  masses  of  coral,  of  different 
species,  each  weighing  ten  pounds,  in  the  sea  three 
feet  beneath  the  surface,  where  they  were  secured 
from  removal  by  stakes.  This  was  in  December; 
and  in  the  month  of  July  following,  they  were  found 
nearly  extending  to  the  surface,  immovably  fixed  to 
the  rock,  and  grown  to  several  feet  in  length.  A 
ship  in  the  Persian  Gulf,  in  the  course  of  twenty 
months,  had  her  copper  encased  with  living  coral  to 
the  thickness  of  two  feet. 

2A 


278  THE    OCEAN. 

It  may  excite  surprise,  that  the  openings  in  the 
reefs  are  not  gradually  filled  up  in  those  cases 
where  no  stream  of  fresh  water  flows  into  the  sea. 
But  it  appears  that  the  presence  of  any  sediment 
is  so  annoying  to  the  animals,  as  to  prevent  their 
acting  with  energy.  This  may  be  produced  in 
various  modes :  there  are  many  animals  which 
feed  on  the  living  coral.  Mr.  Darwin  observed 
two  Parrot-fishes  (Scarus),  one  outside  and  the 
other  inside  the  reef,  both  engaged  in  devouring 
it :  many  small  Mollusca  penetrate  into  it,  and 
the  Sea-cucumbers  (Hbluthuria),  which  are  very 
numerous  and  large,  are  continually  nibbling  at  it. 
The  rolling  of  dead  masses  by  the  surf  must  also 
chafe  away  particles  continually,  and  the  presence 
of  the  deposited  sand  thus  formed  is  doubtless  one 
reason  why  the  coral  grows  languidly  within  the 
lagoon ;  whereas  the  abraded  atoms  on  the  outside 
are  at  once  washed  off  by  the  waves,  and  sink  to 
the  bottom  of  the  Ocean.  Now,  the  water  which 
is  continually  thrown  into  the  lagoon  by  the  surf 
breaking  over  the  reef,  can  find  an  outlet  only 
through  the  openings  of  which  I  am  speaking;  and 
thus  a  constant  current  is  maintained  through  them, 
and  particularly  at  the  sides,  where  the  opposing 
waves  offer  less  resistance,  carrying  out  some  of  the 
sediment,  and  depositing  it  in  its  course  on  the 
coral  margins  of  the  aperture.  The  coral  sand  made 
by  these  abraded  fragments  is  quickly  cemented 
by  the  influence  of  the  sun  into  a  solid  mass,  where 
exposed  to  the  air;  and  it  is,  perhaps,  owing  to  this 
property  that  j,hq  uujnberless  little  islets  are  formed 


THE   PACIFIC   OCEAN.  2T9 

along  the  reef,  even  where  there  is  no  aperture. 
The  surf  in  violent  gales  can  roll  up  upon  the  reef 
masses  of  torn-off  coral,  weighing  many  hundred- 
weights ;  such  a  mass,  once  lodged,  would  be  the 
nucleus  of  an  islet ;  the  sand  would  speedily  accu- 
mulate around  it,  which  the  sun  would  soon  cement 
into  a  mass,  and  then  the  islet  would  be  ready  for 
vegetation. 

The  following  lines  are  beautifully  descriptive 
of  the  formation  of  an  atoll,  though  the  author 
seems  to  hold  the  erroneous  notion  of  the  whole 
structure  being  elevated  from  the  bottom  by  the 
coral  polypes : — 

"  Millions  of  millions  thus,  from  age  to  age, 
With  simplest  skill,  and  toil  unweariable, 
No  moment  and  no  movement  unimproved, 
Laid  line  on  line,  on  terrace  terrace  spread. 
To  swell  the  heightening,  brightening,  gradual  mound, 
By  marvellous  structure  climbing  tow'rds  the  day. 
Each  wrought  alone,  yet  altogether  wrought; 
Unconscious,  not  unworthy,  instruments, 
By  which  a  Hand  invisible  was  rearing 
A  new  creation  in  the  secret  deep. 
Omnipotence  wrought  in  them,  with  them,  by  them; 
Hence  what  Omnipotence  alone  could  do 
Worms  did.         *         *         *         *         *         * 

"Atom  by  atom  thus  the  burthen  grew, 
Even  like  an  infant  in  the  womb,  till  Time 
Deliver'd  Ocean  of  that  monstrous  birth, 
A  Coral  Island,  stretching  east  and  west, 
In  God's  own  language  to  its  parent  saying, 
'Thus  far,  no  farther,  sbalt  thou  go;  and  here 
Shall  thy  proud  waves  be  stayed:' — A  point  at  first 
It  peer'd  above  those  waves;  a  point  so  small, 
I  just  perceived  it,  fix'd  where  all  was  floating; 
And  when  a  bubble  cross'd  it,  the  blue  film 


280  THE  OCEAN. 

Expanded  like  a  sky  above  the  speck  ; 

That  speck  became  a  hand-breadth;  day  and  night 

It  spread,  accumulated,  and  ere  long 

Presented  to  my  view  a  dazzling  plain, 

White  as  the  moon  amid  the  sapphire  sea; 

Bare  at  low  water,  and  as  still  as  death  : 

But  when  the  tide  came  gurgling  o'er  the  surface, 

'Twas  like  a  resurrection  of  the  dead; 

From  graves  innumerable,  punctures  fine 

In  the  close  coral,  capillary  swarms 

Of  reptiles,  horrent  as  Medusa's  snakes, 

Cover'd  the  bald-pate  reef;  then  all  was  life, 

And  indefatigable  industry  ; 

The  artizans  wore  twisting  to  and  fro, 

In  idle-seeming  convolutions;  yet 

They  never  vanish'd  with  the  ebbing  surge, 

Till  pellicle  on  pellicle,  and  layer 

On  layer,  was  added  to  the  growing  mass. 

Ere  long  the  reef  o'ertopped  the  spring-flood's  height, 

And  niock'd  the  billows  when  they  leap'd  upon  it, 

Unable  to  maintain  their  slippery  hold, 

And  falling  down  in  foam-wreaths  round  its  verge. 

Steep  were  the  flanks,  with  precipices  sharp, 

Descending  to  their  base  in  ocean-gloom, 

Chasms  few,  and  narrow,  and  irregular, 

Form'd  harbours,  safe  at  once  and  perilous — 

Safe  for  defence,  but  perilous  to  enter. 

A  sea-lake  shone  amidst  the  fossil  isle, 

Reflecting  in  a  ring  its  cliffs  and  caverns, 

With  heaven  itself  seen  like  a  lake  below."* 

The  islands  of  the  second  class  seem  to  have  been 
originally  of  the  same  structure  as  those  already 
noticed,  but  have  been  elevated  to  the  height  of 
one  hundred  to  five  hundred  feet,  by  some  unknown 
agency.  The  character  of  their  vegetation  resem- 
bles that  of  the  volcanic  isles,  of  which  I  shall  pre- 
sently speak,  but   they  do  not   possess   their  sub- 

*  Montgomery's  Pelican  Island. 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAN. 


281 


lime  grandeur,  nor  the  peculiar  loveliness  of  the 
atolls.  The  rocks  are  crystallized  carbonate  of  lime, 
supposed  to  have  been  originally  coral,  "  but,  by 
exposure  to  the  action  of  the  atmospheric  air,  to- 
gether with  that  of  the  water  percolating  through 
them,  the  loose  particles  of  calcareous  matter  have 
been  washed  away,  and  the  whole  mass  has  become 
harder  and  brighter."      In  the  islands  named  Atiu 


Crystal  Islands. 


and  Mauke,  the  latter  of  which  was  discovered  by 
Mr.  Williams  in  1828,  that  gentleman  found  seve- 
ral extensive  caverns,  having  a  stratum  of  crystal- 
lized coral,  fifteen  feet  in  thickness,  as  a  roof.  In 
one  of  these  exquisitely  beautiful  caverns  he  walked 
about  for  two  hours,  and  found  no  termination 
to  its  windings.     This  circumstance,   together  with 

2a2 


282  THE    OCEAN. 

the  absence  of  scoria,  lava,  and  other  volcanic  pro- 
ducts, in  these  islands,  has  led  him  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  they  have  been  elevated  by  some  expan- 
sive power,  or  volcanic  agency,  without  eruption.'* 

In  one  of  the  Tonga  Isles  there  is  a  very  curious 
submarine  cavern,  connected  with  an  interesting 
legend.  Mr.  Mariner,  who  describes  it,  informs  us 
that  being  in  the  vicinity  one  day,  a  chief  proposed 
to  visit  this  cave.  One  after  another  of  the  young 
men  dived  into  the  water  without  rising  again,  and 
at  length  the  narrator  followed  one  of  them,  and, 
guided  by  the  light  reflected  from  his  heels,  en- 
tered a  large  opening  in  the  rock,  and  presently 
emerged  in  a  cavern.  The  entrance  is  at  least  a 
fathom  beneath  the  surface  of  the  sea  at  low-water, 
in  the  side  of  a  rock  upwards  of  sixty  feet  in  height; 
and  leads  into  a  grotto  about  forty  feet  wide,  and 
of  about  the  same  height,  branching  off  into  two 
chambers.  As  it  is  apparently  closed  on  every  side, 
there  is  no  light  but  the  feeble  ray  transmitted 
through  the  sea;  yet  this  was  found  sufficient,  after 
the  eye  had  been  a  few  minutes  accustomed  to  the 
obscurity,  to  show  objects  with  some  little  distinct- 
ness. Mr.  Mariner,  however,  desirous  of  better 
light,  dived  out  again,  procured  his  pistol,  and  after 
carefully  wrapping  it  up,  as  well  as  a  torch,  re-en- 
tered the  cavern  as  speedily  as  possible.  Both  the 
pistol  and  torch,  on  being  unwrapped,  were  found 
perfectly  dry,  and  by  flashing  the  powder  of  the 
priming,  the  latter  was  lighted,  and  the  beautiful 
grotto  illuminated.  The  roof  was  hung  with  sta- 
*  Williams's  Missionary  Enterprises,  p.  28. 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAN.  283 

lactites  in  fantastic  forms,  bearing  some  resemblance 
to  the  Gothic  arches  and  carved  ornaments  of  some 
old  church.  After  having  examined  the  curiositie3 
of  the  place,  the  party  sat  down  to  drink  cava,  while 
an  old  chief  communicated  some  interesting  parti- 
culars in  the  history  of  the  grotto. 

In  former  times  there  lived  a  governor  of  one  of 
the  neighbouring  islands,  who  exercised  his  autho- 
rity with  the  most  grinding  tyranny  and  injustice. 
A  conspiracy  against  his  life  was  formed  by  a  sub- 
ordinate chief,  which  was  discovered,  and  he  himself 
condemned  to  death  with  his  family.  One  of 
his  daughters,  however,  a  beautiful  girl,  was  re- 
served for  a  more  hateful  destiny,  that  of  becoming 
the  wife  of  the  cruel  tyrant.  It  happened  that 
another  young  chief,  who  had  long  loved  this  maiden, 
had,  a  little  while  before,  accidentally  discovered 
the  submarine  cavern,  when  diving  in  pursuit  of 
turtle.  He  had  kept  his  discovery  a  profound 
secret,  reserving  it  as  a  safe  retreat  for  himself,  in 
case  he  should  be  unsuccessful  in  a  plan  of  revolt, 
which  he  also  had  in  view.  No  sooner,  however, 
were  the  tyrant's  decisions  known  than  he  hastened 
to  the  damsel,  and  acquainting  her  with  her  danger, 
besought  her  to  escape  with  him.  The  emergency 
was  great;  little  solicitation  sufficed  to  obtain  her 
consent ;  the  woods  concealed  her  until  evening, 
when  her  lover  brought  his  canoe  to  a  lonely  part 
of  the  beach,  in  which  she  embarked  with  him. 
As  he  paddled  her  across  the  rippling  waves,  he 
made  known  to  her  his  discovery  of  the  grotto, 
in  which    he    proposed    to   conceal    her    until    they 


284  THE   OCEAN. 

could  find  an  opportunity  for  escape  to  a  distant 
island.  Arrived  at  the  cliff,  he  conducted  her 
through  the  waters  to  her  new  abode,  where  they 
rested  awhile  from  their  fears  and  fatigue,  par- 
taking of  some  refreshment,  which  he  had  previously 
stored  there  for  himself.  Early  in  the  morning  he 
returned  home  to  avoid  suspicion ;  but  failed  not, 
in  the  course  of  the  day,  to  repair  again  to  the  place 
which  held  all  that  was  dear  to  him:  he  brought 
her  mats  to  lie  on,  the  finest  gnaioo  for  a  change 
of  dress,  the  best  of  food  for  her  support,  sandal- 
wood oil,  cocoa-nuts,  and  every  thing  he  could  think 
of  to  render  her  life  as  comfortable  as  possible. 
He  gave  her  as  much  of  his  company  as  prudence 
would  allow,  and  at  the  most  appropriate  times, 
lest  the  prying  eye  of  curiosity  should  find  out  his 
retreat. 

But,  though  happy  in  each  other's  affections, 
during  their  sojourn  in  this  secluded  cave,  the  length 
of  time  he  found  it  necessary  to  be  absent  from 
his  bride,  to  prevent  suspicion  and  detection,  was 
a  great  source  of  discomfort ;  and  he  longed  for 
an  opportunity  to  arrive,  when  he  might  without 
hazard  acknowledge  her  as  his  chosen  wife,  and 
restore  her  to  liberty  and  security.  At  length  he 
proposed  to  his  vassals  an  emigration  to  the  Feejee 
Islands,  and  requested  them  to  accompany  him. 
They  complied,  but  asked  him  respectfully,  if  he 
would  not  take  a  Tonga  wife  with  him.  He 
laughingly  replied,  no;  but  that  he  might  pos- 
sibly find  one  by  the  way.  Having  put  to  sea, 
he   steered    bv   the   cliffs  of  Hoonga,  the  isle  of  the 


THE    PACIFIC   OCEAlr.  285 

grotto ;  and  suddenly  bidding  his  crew  wait  while 
he  fetched  his  wife,  dived,  to  their  astonishment, 
beneath  the  wave.  They,  waited  awhile  in  the 
greatest  suspense  and  wonder;  and  at  length,  when 
they  had  despaired  of  seeing  him  more,  how  was 
their  astonishment  increased  to  see  him  suddenly 
appear,  accompanied  by  a  lovely  female !  Soon, 
however,  they  recognized  her  features  as  those  of 
one  whom  they  had  believed  to  have  been  slain, 
in  the  general  massacre  of  her  family ;  but  having 
been  briefly  informed  by  the  chief  of  the  events 
that  had  transpired,  they  joyfully  congratulated  him 
on  his  happiness.  At  length  they  arrived  safely 
at  Feejee,  where  they  resided  under  the  protection 
of  a  chief  two  years;  when,  hearing  of  the  death 
of  the  tyrant  from  whose  persecutions  they  had  fled, 
the  young  chief  returned  with  his  wife  to  their 
native  island,  and  lived  long  in  peace  and  happiness. 
The  only  point  of  difficulty  in  this  pleasing  story 
is  the  time  which  the  young  bride  is  said  to  have 
spent  in  the  cavern;  viz.,  two  or  three  months;  as 
it  is  not  easy  to  understand  how  the  air  could  have 
remained  so  long  fit  for  the  support  of  life,  if  un- 
renewed by  communication  with  the  atmosphere. 
However,  it  is  quite  probable,  that  there  might 
have  been  clefts  in  the  ceiling,  which  might  admit 
air  without  admitting  light;  although  Mr.  Mariner 
could  discover  none,  even  by  swimming  up  each 
of  the  chambers  with  the  torch  in  his  hand.  He, 
however,  bears  testimony,  expressly,  to  the  purity 
of  the  air  during  his  visit  to  the  retreat,  so  that 
we  will  not  reject  the  narrative  on  that  account. 


286 


THE    OCEAN. 


The  islands  of  the  third  class  differ  greatly  in 
appearance  and  structure  from  those  of  either  of 
the  preceding.  Abundant  traces  of  their  volcanic 
origin  show  that  they  have  been  elevated  from  the 
bed  of  the  Ocean  by  the  resistless  energy  of  fire, 
■which  has  given  a  bold  and  irregular  form  to  their 
rocky  mountains  that  greatly  increases  the  romantic 


Volcanic   Islands. 


beauty  of  their  scenery.  Every  visitor  to  the  South 
Seas  has  spoken  in  eulogy  of  these  lovely  islands. 
The  highly-wrought  descriptions  given  in  Cook's 
voyages  are  declared  by  recent  writers  to  be  no 
whit  beyond  the  reality.  Instead  of  the  long,  low 
coral   island,  with  its  grove  of  cocoa-nut  trees  almost 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAN.  28? 

springing  from  the  water's  edge,  these  islands  rise 
up  from  the  sea  in  tall  cliffs,  or  gentle  slopes,  while 
the  towering  mountains  of  the  interior,  wooded  to 
their  summits,  pierce  the  clouds.  "  The  mountains 
frequently  diverge  in  short  ranges  from  the  interior 
towards  the  shore,  though  some  rise  like  pyramids 
with  pointed  summits,  and  others  present  a  conical 
or  sugar-loaf  form,  while  the  outline  of  several 
is  regular,  and  almost  circular."  In  some  places 
the  mountain  ranges  terminate  in  abrupt  precipices 
frowning  over  the  Pacific,  that  frets  and  foams  be- 
low; in  others,  there  is  a  broad  belt  of  level  land, 
of  the  most  fertile  character,  and  rich  in  the  va- 
rious productions  of  a  tropical  region.  To  these  are 
now  added  charms  of  another  character.  When 
visited  by  Cook,  there  was  the  loveliness  and  mag- 
nificence of  Nature,  but  that  was  all ;  man  was  evil ; 
plunged  in  the  grossest  idolatry,  cruelty,  and  licen- 
tiousness, he  strangely  contrasted  with  the  scenes 
around  him :  but,  now  that  the  glad  tidings  of  sal- 
vation through  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  have  been, 
by  the  grace  of  God,  made  known  to  them,  how 
incomparably  is  the  scene  enhanced  !  The  wretched 
hut  is  exchanged  for  the  neat  and  picturesque  cot- 
tage; cultivated  fields  and  pleasant  gardens  chequer 
the  mountain  sides ;  the  sound  of  the  axe  and  ham- 
mer has  replaced  the  savage  war-cry,  and  the  peace- 
ful people  flock  to  the  worship  of  the  true  God, 
instead  of  a  licentious  dance  before  a  hideous  idol. 
O,  how  far  does  the  moral  beauty  of  such  a  change 
as  this  exceed  the  beauty  of  mere  natural  scenery, 
though  it   be  lovely  as  is  that  of  Tahiti!     Captain 


288  THE    OCEAN. 

Gambier  has  thus  described  his  emotions  on  visit- 
ing these  scenes: — "After  passing  the  reef  of  coral 
which  forms  the  harbour,  astonishment  and  delight 
kept  us  silent  for  some  moments,  and  were  succeeded 
by  a  burst  of  unqualified  approbation  at  the  scene 
before  us.  We  were  in  an  excellent  harbour,  upon 
whose  shores  industry  and  comfort  were  plainly  per- 
ceptible; for  in  every  direction,  white  cottages,  pre- 
cisely English,  were  seen  peeping  from  amongst  the 
rich  foliage  which  everywhere  clothes  the  lowland 
in  these  islands.  Upon  various  little  elevations  be- 
yond these,  were  others,  which  gave  extent  and 
animation  to  the  whole.  The  point  on  the  left, 
in  going  in,*  is  low,  and  covered  with  wood,  with 
several  cottages  along  the  shore.  On  the  right, 
the  high  land  of  the  interior  slopes  down  with 
gentle,  gradual  descent,  and  terminates  in  an  ele- 
vated point,  which  juts  out  into  the  harbour,  form- 
ing two  little  bays.  The  principal  and  largest  is 
to  the  left,  viewing  them  from  seaward ;  in  this, 
and  extending  up  the  valley,  the  village  is  situ- 
ated. The  other,  which  is  small,  has  only  a  few 
houses ;  but  so  quiet,  so  retired,  that  it  seems  the 
abode  of  peace  and  perfect  content.  Industry  flou- 
rishes here.  The  chiefs  take  a  pride  in  building 
their  own  houses,  which  are  now  all  after  the  Euro- 
pean manner;  and  think  meanly  of  themselves,  if 
they  do  not  excel  the  lower  classes  in  the  arts 
necessary  for  their  construction.  Their  wives,  also, 
surpass  their  inferiors  in  making  cloth.     The  queen 

*  Tbe  oaptain  is  speaking  of  the  harbour  of  Fa-re,  iu  the  island  of 
liuaheine. 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAN.  289 

and  her  daughter-in-law,  dressed  in  the  English 
fashion,  received  us  in  their  neat  little  cottage. 

"The  sound  of  industry  was  music  to  my  ears. 
Hammers,  saws,  and  adzes,  were  heard  in  every 
direction.  Houses  in  frame  met  the  eye  in  all  parts, 
in  different  stages  of  forwardness.  Many  boats,  after 
our  manner,  were  building,  and  lime  burning  for 
cement  and  whitewashing. 

"  I  walked  out  to  the  point  forming  the  division 
between  the  two  bays.  When  I  had  reached  it,  I 
sat  down  to  enjoy  the  sensations  created  by  the 
lovely  scene  before  me.  I  cannot  describe  it;  but 
it  possessed  charms  independent  of  the  beautiful 
scenery  and  rich  vegetation.  The  blessings  of  Chris- 
tianity were  diffused  among  the  fine  people  who 
inhabited  it ;  a  taste  for  industrious  employment  had 
taken  deep  root ;  a  praiseworthy  emulation  to  excel 
in  the  arts  which  contribute  to  their  welfare  and 
comfort  had  seized  upon  all,  and  in  consequence 
civilization  was  advancing  with  rapid  strides." 

The  volcanic  islands,  like  the  first-described  class, 
are  protected  from  the  fury  of  the  tempestuous 
Ocean  by  the  natural  rampart  of  a  coral  reef. 
The  reef  is  often  a  mile  and  a  half,  or  two  miles 
from  the  beach,  though  sometimes  it  approaches 
so  close  as  to  be  connected  with  it,  interrupting 
in  that  part  the  continuity  of  the  lagoon.  The 
usual  width  of  the  coral  rock  is  from  five  to  twenty 
or  thirty  j^ards;  yet  over  this  the  waves  usually 
break,  and  when  rolling  in  upon  an  unbroken  line 
of  reef,  perhaps  two  miles  in  length,  the  spectacle 
is    one    of   surpassing   grandeur    and    beauty.     The 

19  2  B 


290 


THE    OCEAN. 


BOLABOLA. 


island  of  Bolabola,  however,  is  surrounded  by  a  ring 
of  land  almost  unbroken,  on  which  are  growing 
groves  of  cocoa-nuts  ;  the  reef  being  wholly  elevated 
above  the  sea. 

The  openings  in  the  reefs  in  the  larger  islands 
are  almost  invariably  placed  opposite  the  mouth 
of  a  river.  One  can  readily  understand,  that  a 
current  of  fresh  water  would  be  detrimental  to  the 
health  of  a  polype  formed  for  living  in  the  Bea, 
and  therefore  the  openings  here  might  have  been 
expected.     But  this  effect  is  increased  by  the  sedi- 


THE    PACIFIC   OCEAN.  291 

ment  deposited,  as  lias  already  been  observed  in 
speaking  of  the  coral  islands.  The  little  green 
wooded  islets,  which  serve  as  gateways  here,  as  in 
the  former  case,  are  susceptible  of  ready  explanation. 
Where  a  river  empties  itself,  a  great  quantity  of 
vegetable  matter,  rubbish,  and  earth,  is  perpetually 
carried  down,  and  this  would  naturally  be  deposited 
at  the  shallows  on  either  side,  where  the  stream 
met  the  boiling  waves  of  the  Ocean.  The  heap 
would  very  soon  be  raised,  by  accumulations,  above 
the  surface  of  the  tide,  decomposition  would  take 
place,  seeds  washed  down  would  spring  up,  and, 
under  a  tropical  climate,  the  young  soil  would 
speedily  be  clothed  with  trees  and  shrubs.  In  the 
small  isles  where  there  is  no  efflux  of  fresh  water, 
the  process  would  be  more  protracted,  but  not  essen- 
tially different:  the  current  driven  in  through  the 
aperture  would  bring  sea-weeds,  and  the  floating 
matters  washed  off  the  land,  and  when  the  soil  was 
once  raised  above  the  surface,  though  composed 
of  but  sand  and  pulverized  coral,  the  cocoa-nut 
would  grow  and  thrive.  It  is  remarkable  to  see 
this  graceful  palm  rising  from  the  very  sea-sand, 
where  its  roots  are  daily  wet  with  salt-water,  yet 
towering  to  the  height  of  seventy  feet,  throwing 
out  its  elegant  plumose  fronds,  and  producing  its 
clusters  of  flowers  and  fruit,  as  luxuriantly  as  if 
it  were  growing  in  the  rich  alluvial  valleys  of  the 
interior.  These  little  fairy  islets,  so  useful  as  well 
as  ornamental,  give  a  very  peculiar  character  to  the 
prospects  from  the  land.  "Detached  from  the  large 
islands,  and  viewed   in   connection  with   the  Ocean 


202  TITE    OCEAN. 

rolling  through  the  channel,  on  the  one  side,  or  the 
foaming  billows  dashing,  and  roaring,  and  breaking 
over  the  reef  on  the  other,  they  appear  like  emerald 
gems  of  the  Ocean,  contrasting  their  solitude  and 
verdant  beauty  with  the  agitated  element  sporting  in 
grandeur  around." 

Upon  the  mind  of  a  European,  the  sailing  in  a 
small  vessel  through  one  of  these  sheltered  lagoons 
has  a  most  novel  and  interesting  effect.  The  shore, 
on  the  one  hand,  presenting  its  shifting  aspects 
of  beauty,  as  the  boat  skims  past,  the  convol- 
vulus and  other  brilliant  creeping  plants  entwined 
about  the  dark  rocks,  or  trailing  in  unrestrained 
wildness  over  the  sands;  the  solemn  groves,  now 
revealing  their  sombre  and  shady  retreats,  now  pro- 
jecting their  massy  foliage  in  full  sun-light;  the 
valuable  bread-fruit  (Artocarpus),  the  light  and 
elegant  aito  (Casuarina),  the  magnificent  tamanu 
(Callophyllum),  with  its  glossy  evergreen  leaves,  the 
hntu  (Barringtonia)  of  giant  height,  adorned  with 
large  flowers  of  white  and  pink,  are  relieved  by  the 
coral-tree  (Erythrina),  with  its  light-green  waving 
leaves  and  bunches  of  scarlet  blossoms,  and  the 
hoary  foliage  of  the  candle-nut  (Ahtrites).  The 
cocoa-nut,  always  beautiful,  whether  growing  alone 
or  in  groves,  but  particularly  pleasing  when  seen 
planted  around  a  neat  white-washed  cottage,  in 
company  with  the  broad-leaved  plantain  or  banana; 
the  light  tree-ferns  displaying  their  elegant  tracery 
against  the  sky,  the  native  chestnut  (Tktscarpus), 
rearing  its  stately  head  above  its  fellows,  and  mark- 
ing   the  position  of  a    running  stream; — these  and 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAN.  293 

many  other  trees  of  beauty  and  usefulness  strike  the 
eye  of  a  stranger.  Seaward,  there  is  the  long  line  of 
the  reef;  a  low  but  impregnable  barrier,  with  the 
surging  wave  foaming  over  it;  and,  beyond,  the 
boundless  Pacific,  unbroken  by  any  object,  save  the 
white-sailed  canoe  in  the  distance,  scarcely  distin- 
guishable from  the  crest  of  a  wave,  but  perhaps 
freighted  with  the  humble  native  missionary,  bear- 
ing to  some  neighbouring  island  that  gospel  of 
Christ  which  he  has  found  to  be  "the  power  of 
God  unto  [his]  salvation."  Beneath  and  around  is 
the  placid  and  lake-like  lagoon,  the  progress  of  the 
boat  alone  dimpling  its  smooth  face.  So  transparent 
is  the  water,  that  the  varied  bottom  is  distinctly 
visible  many  fathoms  down,  showing  the  growth  of 
living  coral  branching  in  fantastic  imitation  of  the 
shrubs  and  trees  on  the  shore,  and  representing  to 
the  charmed  imagination  an  extensive  submarine 
shrubbery  of  many  hues.  Even  the  irregular  move- 
ments of  the  spined  urchins  (Echini)  are  clearly  seen 
as  they  crawl  upon  the  sands,  and  the  multitudes  of 
playful  little  rock-fishes  (Labri),  of  every  rich  and 
glowing  tint,  gliding  with  easy  and  graceful  motion 
among  the  branches,  rivet  the  spectator's  attention. 

Mr.  Ellis  thus  describes  his  feeling  in  a  similar 
situation,  walking  on  the  lonely  sea-beach  by  moon- 
light :  "  The  evening  was  fair,  the  moon  shone 
brightly,  and  her  mild  beams,  silvering  the  foliage 
of  the  shrubs  that  grew  near  the  shore,  and  playing 
on  the  rippled  and  undulating  wave  of  the  Ocean, 
added  a  charm  to  the  singularity  of  the  prospect, 
and  enlivened  the  loneliness  of  our  situation.     The 

2b2 


294  THE  OCEAN. 

scene  was  unusually  impressive.  On  one  side,  the 
mountains  of  tlie  interior,  having  their  outline  edged, 
as  it  were,  with  silver  from  the  rays  of  the  moon, 
rose  in  lofty  magnificence,  while  the  indistinct  form, 
rich  and  diversified  verdure,  of  the  shrubs  and  trees, 
increased  the  effect  of  the  scene.  On  the  other 
hand  was  the  illimitable  sea,  rolling  in  solemn  ma- 
jesty its  swelling  waves  over  the  rocks  which  de- 
fended the  spot  on  which  we  stood.  The  most  pro- 
found silence  prevailed,  and  we  might  have  fancied 
that  we  were  the  only  beings  in  existence;  for  no 
sound  was  heard,  excepting  the  gentle  rustling  of 
the  leaves  of  the  cocoa-nut  tree,  as  the  light  breeze 
from  the  mountain  swept  through  them ;  or  the 
hollow  roar  of  the  surf,  and  the  rolling  of  the 
foaming  wave,  as  it  broke  over  the  distant  reef, 
and  the  splashing  of  the  paddle  of  our  canoe,  as 
it  approached  the  shore.  It  was  impossible,  at 
such  a  season,  to  behold  this  scene,  exhibiting  im- 
pressively the  grandeur  of  creation  and  the  insig- 
nificance of  man,  without  experiencing  emotions  of 
adoring  wonder  and  elevated  devotion,  and  exclaim- 
ing with  the  Psalmist,  '  When  I  consider  thy  hea- 
vens, the  work  of  thy  fingers,  the  moon  and  the 
stars  which  thou  hast  ordained  ;  what  is  man,  that 
thou  art  mindful  of  him,  or  the  son  of  man,  that 
thou  visitest  him  ?'  "* 

The  same  pleasing  writer  has  given  us  a  vivid  pic- 
ture of  the  emotions  awakened  by  passing  a  night 
upon  the  open  sea  in  a  small  boat.  lie  was  pro- 
ceeding   from    the    island    of   Kimeo    to    Huaheine : 

*  Polynesian  Researches,  2ml  ed.  vol.  ii.  jj.  245. 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAN.  295 

"Nothing  can  exceed  the  solemn  stillness  of  a  night 
at  sea  within  the  tropics,  when  the  wind  is  light, 
and  the  water  comparatively  smooth.  Few  periods 
and  situations  amid  the  diversified  circumstances 
of  human  life,  are  equally  adapted  to  excite  con- 
templation, or  to  impart  more  elevated  conceptions 
of  the  Divine  Being,  and  more  just  impressions  of 
the  insignificancy  and  dependence  of  man.  In  order 
to  avoid  the  vertical  rays  of  a  tropical  sun,  and  the 
painful  effects  of  the  reflection  from  the  water, 
many  of  my  voyages  among  the  Georgian  and  So- 
ciety Islands  have  been  made  during  the  night.  At 
these  periods  I  have  ofteu  been  involuntarily  brought 
under  the  influence  of  a  train  of  thought  and  feel- 
ing peculiar  to  the  season  and  the  situation,  but 
never  more  powerfully  so  than  on  the  present  oc- 
casion. 

"The  night  was  moonless,  but  not  dark.  The 
stars  increased  in  number  and  variety  as  the  even- 
ing advanced,  until  the  whole  firmament  was  over- 
spread with  luminaries  of  every  magnitude  and 
brilliancy.  The  agitation  of  the  sea  had  subsided, 
and  the  waters  around  us  appeared  to  unite  with  the 
indistinct,  though  visible,  horizon.  In  the  heaven 
and  the  ocean,  all  powers  of  vision  were  lost;  while 
the  brilliant  lights  in  the  one  being  reflected  from 
the  surface  of  the  other,  gave  a  correspondence  to  the 
appearance  of  both,  and  almost  forced  the  illusion 
on  the  mind,  that  oar  little  bark  was  suspended  in 
the  centre  of  two  united  hemispheres. 

"The  perfect  quietude  that  surrounded  us  was 
equally  impressive.     No  objects  were  visible  but  the 


296  THE    OCEAN. 

lamps  of  heaven  and  the  luminous  appearances  of  the 
deep.  The  silence  was  only  broken  by  the  murmurs 
of  the  breeze  passing  through  our  matting  sails,  or 
the  dashing  of  the  spray  from  the  bows  of  our  boat, 
excepting  at  times,  when  we  heard,  or  fancied  we 
heard,  the  blowing  of  a  shoal  of  porpoises,  or  the 
more  alarming  sounds  of  a  spouting  whale. 

"  At  a  season  such  as  this,  when  I  have  reflected 
on  our  actual  situation,  so  far  removed,  in  the  event 
of  any  casualty,  from  human  observation  and  assist- 
ance, and  preserved  from  certain  death  only  by  a  few 
feet  of  thin  board,  which  my  own  unskilful  hands 
had  nailed  together,  a  sense  of  the  wakeful  care  of 
the  Almighty  has  alone  afforded  composure. 

"The  contemplation  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  al- 
though they  exhibit  the  wisdom  and  majesty  of  God, 
who  'bringeth  out  their  host  by  number,  and  call- 
eth  them  all  by  names,  by  the  greatness  of  His 
might,'  impressed  at  the  same  time  the  conviction 
that  I  was  far  from  home,  and  those  scenes  which 
in  memory  were  associated  with  a  starlight  evening 
in  the  land  I  had  left.  Many  of  the  stars  which 
I  had  beheld  in  England  were  visible  here:  the 
constellations  of  the  zodiac,  the  splendours  of  Orion, 
and  the  mild  twinkling  of  the  Pleiades",  were  seen ; 
but  the  northern  pole-star,  the  steady  beacon  of 
juvenile  astronomical  observation,  the  Great  Bear, 
and  much  that  was  peculiar  to  a  northern  sky,  were 
wanting.  The  effect  of  mental  associations,  con- 
nected with  the  appearance'  of  the  heavens,  is  sin- 
gular and  impressive.  During  a  voyage  which  I 
subsequently  made  fco  the  Sandwich  Islands,  many 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAN.  297 

a  pleasant  hour  was  spent  in  watching  the  rising  of 
those  luminaries  of  heaven,  which  we  had  been 
accustomed  to  behold  in  our  native  land,  but  which 
for  many  years  had  been  invisible.  When  the  polar 
star  rose  above  the  horizon,  and  Ursa  Major,  with 
other  familiar  constellations,  appeared,  we  hailed 
them  as  long-absent  friends;  and  could  not  but 
feel  that  we  were  nearer  England  than  when  we 
left  Tahiti,  simply  from  beholding  the  stars  that 
had  enlivened  our  evening  excursions  at  home."* 

A  stranger  is  forcibly  struck  with  the  remark- 
able fearlessness  which  the  natives  of  these  islands 
have  of  the  sea.  They  appear  almost  as  amphi- 
bious as  seals,  sporting  about  in  the  deep  sea  for 
many  hours,  sometimes  for  nearly  a  whole  day 
together.  No  sooner  does  a  ship  approach  a 
large  island,  than  the  inhabitants  swim  off  to  wel- 
come her;  and  long  before  she  begins  to  take  in 
sail,  she  is  surrounded  by  human  beings  of  both 
sexes,  apparently  as  much  at  home  in  the  Ocean 
as  the  fishes  themselves.  The  children  are  taken 
to  the  water  when  but  a  day  or  two  old,  and  many 
are  able  to  swim  as  soon  as  they  are  able  to  walk. 
In  coasting  along  the  shore,  it  is  a  rare  thing  to 
pass  a  group  of  cottages,  at  any  hour  of  the  day, 
without  seeing  one  or  more  bands  of  children  joy- 
ously playing  in  the  sea.  They  have  several  dis- 
tinct games  which  are  played  in  the  water,  and 
which  are  followed  with  exceeding  avidity,  not  only 
by  children,  but  by  the  adult  population.  One  of 
these  is  the  fastening  of  a  long  board  or  pole  on 

*  Poly.  Res.  iii.  164. 


298  THE    OCEAN. 

a  sort  of  stage,  where  the  rocks  are  abrupt,  in  such 
a  manner  that  it  shall  project  far  over  the  water: 
then  they  chase  one  another  along  the  board,  each 
in  turn  leaping  from  the  end  into  the  sea.  They  are 
also  fond  of  diving  from  the  yard-arms  or  bowsprit 
of  a  ship.  B  it  the  most  favourite  pastime  of  all,  and 
one  in  which  all  classes  and  ages,  and  both  sexes, 
engage  with  peculiar  delight,  is  swimming  in  the 
surf.  Mr.  Ellis  has  seen  some  of  the  highest  chiefs, 
between  fifty  and  sixty  years  of  age,  large  and  cor- 
pulent men,  engage  in  this  game  with  as  much 
interest  as  children.  A  board  about  six  feet  long 
and  a  foot  wide,  slightly  thinner  at  the  edges  than 
at  the  middle,  is  prepared  for  this  amusement, 
stained  and  polished,  and  preserved  with  great  care 
by  being  constantly  oiled,  and  hung  up  in  their  dwell- 
ings. With  this  in  his  hand,  which  he  calls  the 
wave-sliding  board,  each  native  repairs  to  the  reef, 
particularly  when  the  sea  is  running  high,  and  the 
surf  is  dashing  in  with  more  than  ordinary  violence, 
as  on  such  occasions  the  pleasure  is  the  greater. 
They  choose  a  place  where  the  rocks  are  twenty  or 
thirty  feet  under  water,  and  shelve  for  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  or  more  out  to  sea.  The  waves  break  at  this 
distance,  and  the  whole  space  between  it  and  the 
shore  is  one  mass  of  boiling  foam.  Each  person 
dow  swims,  pushing  his  board  before  him,  out  to 
sea,  diving  under  the  waves  as  they  curl  and  break, 
until  he  is  arrived  outside  the  rocks.  He  now 
lays  himself  fiat  on  his  breast  along  his  board, 
and  waits  the  approach  of  a  huge  billow;  when 
it   comes,  he  adroitly  balances   himself  on  its   sum- 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAN.  2'J9 

mit,  and  paddling  with  his  hands,  is  borne  on  the 
crest  of  the  advancing  wave,  amidst  the  foam  and 
spray,  till  within  a  yard  or  two  of  the  shore  or 
rocks.  Then,  when  a  stranger  expects  to  see  him 
the  next  moment  dashed  to  death,  he  slides  off  his 
board,  and  catching  it  by  the  middle,  dives  sea- 
ward under  the  wave,  and  comes  up  behind,  laugh- 
ing and  whooping,  again  to  swim  out  as  before. 
The  utmost  skill  is  required,  in  coming  in,  to  keep 
the  position  on  the  top  of  the  wave ;  for,  if  the 
board  get  too  forward,  the  swimmer  will  be  over- 
turned and  thrown  upon  the  beach;  and,  if  it  fall 
behind,  he  will  be  buried  beneath  the  succeeding 
wave ;  yet  some  of  the  natives  are  so  expert  as  to 
sit,  and  even  to  stand  upright  upon  their  board, 
while  it  is  thus  riding  in  the  foam. 

Their  sport  is,  however,  not  unfrequently  disturbed 
by  the  appearance  of  a  shark.  This  terrific  animal  is 
particularly  abundant  among  the  South  Sea  Islands, 
and  remarkably  bold  and  ferocious.  The  cry  of 
"A  Shark!"  among  the  surf  swimmers  will  instantly 
set  them  in  the  utmost  terror,  and  generally  they  fly 
with  precipitation  to  the  shore ;  though  sometimes 
they  unite  and  endeavour  to  frighten  him  away  with 
their  shouting  and  splashing.  Often,  however,  the 
animal  is  too  determined  lightly  to  give  up  his  prey, 
as  was  the  case  in  the  following  instance  recorded  by 
Mr.  Richards  of  the  Sandwich  Islands: — 

"At  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  June  14th, 
1826,  while  sitting  at  my  writing-desk,  I  heard 
a  simultaneous  scream  from  multitudes  of  people, 
'  Pan  i  ka  mano  !'     (Destroyed  by  the  shark  !)     The 


300 


THE    OCEAN. 


beach  was  instantly  lined  by  hundreds  of  persons, 
and  a  few  of  the  most  resolute  threw  a  large  canoe 
into  the  water,  and,   alike  regardless  of  the  Shark 


ecle-johnso* 


White   Shark, 
the  attitude  of  the  fish  in  taking  its  pret. 

and  the  high  rolling  surf,  sprang  to  the  relief  of 
their  companion.  It  was  too  late;  the  Shark  had 
already  seized  his  prey.  The  affecting  sight  was 
only  a  few  yards  from  my  door,  and  while  I  stood 
watching,  a  large  wave  almost  filled  the  canoe,  and 
at  the  same  instant  a  part  of  the  mangled  body  was 
seen  at  the  bow  of  the  canoe,  and  the  Shark  swim- 
ming towards   it  at  her  stern.      When  the  swell  had 


THE    PACIFIC   OCEAN.  301 

rolled  b}7,  the  water  was  too  shallow  for  the  Shark 
to  swim.  The  remains,  therefore,  were  taken  into 
the  canoe,  and  brought  ashore.  The  water  was 
so  much  stained  by  the  blood,  that  we  discovered 
a  red  tinge  in  all  the  foaming  billows,  as  they 
approached  the  beach. 

"  The  unhappy  sufferer  was  an  active  lad  about 
fourteen  years  old,  who  left  my  door  only  about 
half  an  hour  previous  to  the  fatal  accident.  I  saw 
his  mother,  in  the  extremity  of  her  anguish,  plunge 
into  the  water,  and  swim  towards  the  bloody  spot, 
entirely  forgetful  of  the  power  of  her  former 
god."* 

"A  number  of  people,  perhaps  a  hundred,  were 
at  this  time  playing  in  the  surf,  which  was  higher 
than  usual.  Those  who  were  nearest  to  the  vic- 
tim, heard  him  shriek,  perceived  him  to  strike  with 
his  right  hand,  and  at  the  same  instant  saw  a  Shark 
seize  his  arm.  Then  followed  the  cry  which  I 
heard,  which  echoed  from  one  end  of  Latraina  to 
the  other.  All  who  were  playing  in  the  water  made 
the  utmost  speed  to  the  shore,  and  those  who  were 
standing  on  the  beach  saw  the  surf- board  of  the 
unhappy  sufferer  floating  on  the  water,  without  any 
one  to  guide  it.  When  the  canoe  reached  the  spot, 
they  saw  nothing  but  the  blood  with  which  the 
water  was  stained  for  a  considerable  distance,  and 
by  which  they  traced  the  remains  whither  they 
had  been  carried  by  the  Shark  or  driven  by  the 
swell.     The  body  was  cut  in  two  by  the  Shark,  just 

*  The  Shark  was  formerly  worshipped  in  the  Sandwich  Islands. 
2  C 


302  THE    OCEAN. 

above  the  hips;  and  the  lower   part,  together  with 
the  right  arm,  was  gone."* 

A  dreadful  instance  of  the  voracity  of  these  for- 
midable animals  occurred  a.  few  years  ago  among 
the  Society  Islands.  Upwards  of  thirty  natives  Mere 
passing  from  one  island  to  another,  in  a  large  double 
canoe,  which  consists  of  two  canoes  fastened  toge- 
ther, side  by  side,  by  strong  horizontal  beams, 
lashed  to  the  gunwales  by  cordage.  Being  overtaken 
by  a  storm,  the  canoes  were  torn  apart,  and  were 
incapable,  singly,  of  floating  upright.  In  vain  the 
crew  attempted  to  balance  them — they  were  every 
moment  overturned.  Their  only  resource  was  to 
form  a  hasty  raft  of  such  loose  boards  and  spars 
as  were  in  the  craft,  on  which  they  hoped  to  drift 
ashore.  But  it  happened,  from  the  small  size  of 
their  raft,  and  their  aggregated  weight,  that  they 
were  so  deep  in  the  water,  that  the  waves  washed 
above  their  knees.  Tossed  about  thus,  they  soon 
became  exhausted  with  hunger  and  fatigue;  when 
the  Sharks  began  to  collect  around  them,  and  soon 
had  the  boldness  to  seize  one  and  another  from  the 
raft,  who,  being  destitute  of  any  weapon  of  defence, 
became  an  easy  prey.  The  number  and  audacity 
of  these  monsters  every  moment  increased,  and  the 
forlorn  wretches  were  one  by  one  torn  off,  until,  but 
two  or  three  remaining,  the  raft  at  length,  light- 
ened of  its  load,  rose  to  the  surface,  and  placed  the 
survivors  beyond  the  reach  of  their  terrible  assailants. 
The  tide  at  length  bore  them  to  ono  of  the  islands, 
a  melancholy  remnant,  to  tell  the  sad  late  of  their 
companions. 

*  Amerienn  Missionary   Herald. 


T2E    PACIFIC    OCEAN.  303 

"With  such  simple  vessels  as  were  used  by  these 
people,  it  is  surprising  that  such  accidents  did  not 
more  frequently  occur.  When  we  consider  that, 
before  their  intercourse  with  Europeans,  they  pos- 
sessed no  metal  tools,  that  their  work  was  performed 
wholly  by  the  eye,  without  line,  rule,  or  square, 
and  that  the  seams  were  closed  merely  by,  as  it 
were,  tying  the  planks  to  each  other  with  cinet, 
it  does  seem  surprising  that  their  canoes  could  even 
live  in  a  sea.  Yet  they  were  strong  and  secure, 
and  many  of  them  remarkably  dry  and  comfortable, 
leaking  very  little,  for  they  were  accustomed  to 
insert  between  the  seams  the  cocoa-nut  husk,  which 
always  swells  when  wetted;  and  the  expansion  of 
this  substance  closed  the  crevices  neatly.  Their 
craft,  though  varying  much  in  size  and  minor 
points,  according  to  the  purposes  for  which  they 
were  intended,  were  built  nearly  on  the  same  model; 
the  stem  and  stern  generally  being  curved  upwards, 
so  as  to  project  out  of  water.  As  they  were  much 
higher  than  wide,  they*  needed  some  contrivance 
to  obtain  uprightness;  and  this  they  secured,  either 
by  lashing  two  together  by  cross-beams,  making 
the  double  canoe  just  now  alluded  to,  or  by  means 
of  an  outrigger,  which  is  a  stout  plank  or  spar, 
parallel  to  the  side  of  the  canoe,  and  fixed  at  some 
distance  from  the  larboard  side,  by  two  horizontal 
poles,  which  connect  it  with  the  vessel.  The  out- 
rigger floats  on  the  water,  and  while  it  remains  fast, 
there  is  no  possibility  of  capsizing.  They  were 
furnished  with  masts,  sails  made  of  the  leaves  of 
the   pandanus,  woven    into    a    sort  of   matting,  and 


304  THE    OCEAN. 

rigging  made  of  cocoa-nut  fibre,  which  makes  good 
rope. 

The  mode  in  which  these  scattered  isles  wer<* 
peopled  is  a  subject  of  interesting  discussion,  as 
the  physical  character  of  the  inhabitants,  their  lan- 
guage, and  many  peculiarities  in  their  customs,  seem 
to  indicate  their  Asiatic  origin ;  while,  on  the  other 
hand,  it  was  deemed  highly  improbable  that  the 
progress  should  have  been  made  in  a  direction  op- 
posed to  that  of  the  trade-wind,  and  in  such  feeble 
craft  as  they  possessed.  But  the  trade- wind  is  occa- 
sionally exchanged  for  violent  and  continued  gales 
in  other  directions;  and  instances  have  come  to 
our  knowledge,  in  which  voyages  of  several  hun- 
dred miles  have  been  performed  by  native  canoes, 
directly  to  windward.  Thus,  Captain  Beechy 
found  at  Byam  Martin  Island  a  native  of  Tahiti, 
named  Tuwarri,  who,  with  a  few  companions,  had 
sailed  from  Chain  Island  on  a  voyage  to  Tahiti; 
but  after  being  out  some  time,  he  was  met  by  a 
violent  storm,  which  drove  him  far  out  of  his  course 
and  knowledge.  At  length,  after  very  severe  pri- 
vations and  sufferings,  he  arrived  at  Byam  Martin, 
four  hundred  and  twenty  miles  distant  in  a  wind- 
ward direction  from  the  point  of  embarkation.* 
Such  involuntary  emigrations  as  this,  when  we  con- 
sider how  intimately  the  various  groups  are  con- 
nected with  each  other,  and  with  the  Indian  Archi- 
pelago, seem  sufficient  to  warrant  the  conclusion, 
that  the  tide  of  population  has  flowed  in  a  direction 
from  west  to  east. 

*  Voyage  to  the  Pacific,  <tc. 


THE   PACIFIC   OCEAN.  305 

In  the  transparent  waters  of  the  lagoons  and 
sheltered  bays,  fishes  of  great  variety  and  beauty 
are  seen;  and  as  many  of  them  are  of  large  size, 
and  of  exquisite  flavour,  the  obtaining  of  them 
forms  no  small  part  of  the  occupation  of  the  Poly- 
nesians. Some  of  their  modes  of  fishing  are  highly 
carious  and  ingenious.  One,  which  is  very  suc- 
cessful, reminds  us  of  a  wire  mouse-trap.  A  cir- 
cular space  in  the  lagoon,  of  about  three  or  four 
yards  in  diameter,  is  enclosed  by  building  up  a 
wall  from  the  bottom  to  the  surface,  in  a  part  where 
it  is  not  very  deep.  In  one  part  of  the  top  an 
opening  is  left  a  foot  or  two  wide,  and  five  or  six 
inches  deep.  From  each  side  of  this  aperture  an- 
other stone  wall,  likewise  reaching  to  the  surface, 
is  built  to  the  length  of  fifty  or  a  hundred  yards 
in  a  diverging    direction,  so    as  to    include  a  large 

DO'  O 

space  of  water,  which  is  open  at  one  end,  but,  be- 
coming narrower  and  narrower,  leads  into  the  cir- 
cular pen.  Fishes  are  usually  found  in  these  traps 
every  morning,  which  are  either  taken  out  with  a 
hand-net,  or  allowed  to  remain  till  wanted,  as  in  a 
preserve. 

Many  fishes,  which  have  the  habit  of  springing 
out  of  water  when  alarmed,  are  taken  by  means 
of  rafts.  These  are  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet 
long,  and  six  or  eight  feet  wide,  built  of  light  wood, 
such  as  the  native  hibiscus.  Along  one  side  a  fence 
or  screen  is  raised  to  the  height  of  four  or  five 
feet,  by  fixing  a  row  of  upright  stakes  in  the  raft, 
to  which  slender  poles  are  attached  horizontally,  one 
above  another.     A  large  party  of  men  proceed  with 

20  2c2 


306  THE   OCEAN. 

twenty  or  thirty  of  these  rafts  to  a  shallow  part  of 
the  lagoon,  and  then  arrange  themselves  in  a  large 
circle,  enclosing  a  large  space  of  water.  They  then 
gradually  narrow  the  circle  by  approaching  each 
other,  keeping  the  fenced  edge  of  the  raft  on  the 
outside.  At  this  juncture  a  few  persons  go  into  the 
circle  with  a  canoe,  and  beat  the  surface  of  the  water 
violently  with  long  white  sticks,  making  as  much 
commotion  as  possible.  The  fish,  alarmed,  dart  away 
towards  the  rafts,  and  leaping  out  of  water,  endea- 
vour to  clear  them;  but,  striking  against  the  perpen- 
dicular fence,  they  fall  on  the  raft,  and  are  gathered 
into  baskets,  or  into  canoes  prepared  on  the  outside 
of  the  circle. 

From  the  seeds  of  some  of  the  native  plants,  a 
liquor  is  prepared,  which  has  the  property  of  in- 
toxicating fishes,  and  rendering  them  insensible. 
The  mixture  is  frequently  poured  into  the  water 
in  narrow  places  near  the  shore,  or  upon  the  reef; 
soon  after  which  the  fish  come  out  of  their  retreats, 
and  float  in  considerable  numbers  on  the  surface 
as  if  dead,  when  they  are  caught  without  resist- 
ance. 

Sometimes  the  long  leaves  of  the  cocoa-nut  are 
tied  up  in  bunches,  and  affixed  along  a  line,  which 
being  carried  out  and  dropped  into  the  water,  the 
two  ends  are  towed  in  two  canoes  towards  the  shore. 
This  rude  apology  for  a  net,  drives  many  fishes 
into  the  shallows,  whence  they  are  taken  out  with 
hand-nets,  or  speared.  Nets,  however,  made  on 
the  same  principle  as  our  own,  are  manufactured 
by   them,   and    are    exceedingly    well    made.     They 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAN.  307 

are  of  various  kinds:  a  casting-net  is  used  with 
much  dexterity,  being  thrown  from  the  hand  over  a 
shoal  of  small  fishes,  as  the  fisherman  walks  along 
the  shore.  Salmon-nets  are  made  forty  fathoms  long, 
and  are  very  effective;  stones  tied  in  bags  of  matting 
being  used  instead  of  leads,  and  floats  of  light  wood 
for  corks. 

Fishing  with  the  barbed  spear  is  a  favourite  amuse- 
ment in  these  islands.  Before  the  introduction  of 
iron,  the  implement  was  made  of  hard  wood;  ten  or 
twelve  pointed  pieces  being  fastened  to  the  end  of  a 
pole  eight  feet  long;  but  now  iron  heads  are  usually 
employed,  barbed  on  one  side.  With  these  spears 
the  natives  proceed  to  the  reef,  and  wade  into  the 
sea  as  high  as  their  waists,  their  feet  being  defended 
from  the  sharp  points  of  the  coral  and  the  spines  of 
the  sea-urchins  by  sandals  made  of  tough  bark, 
twisted  into  cords.  Stationing  themselves  near  an 
opening  in  the  rocks,  they  watch  the  motions  of  the 
fishes,  as  they  shoot  to  and  fro,  and  dart  the  spear, 
sometimes  with  one  hand,  but  more  commonly  with 
both,  frequently  striking  their  prey  with  great  dex- 
terity. 

The  fishermen  often  pursue  their  avocation  by 
night;  sometimes  in  the  dark,  sometimes  by  moon- 
light, but  more  usually  by  torehlight.  Their  torches 
are  either  large  bunches  of  dried  reeds  firmly  tied 
together,  or  else  are  made  of  the  candle-nut  (Akn- 
rites  triloba),  which  the  natives  use  to  light  their 
houses.  These  nuts  are  heart-shaped,  about  as 
large  as  a  walnut,  and  enclosed  in  a  very  hard 
shell.     After   being   slightly  baked    in   an   oven,  the 


308  TIIE    OCEAN. 

shell  is  removed,  a  hole  bored  through  the  kernel, 
and  a  rush  passed  through  the  hole,  when  they  are 
hung  up  in  strings  for  use.  Torches  are  made  by 
enclosing  four  or  five  strings  of  the  nuts  in  the  leaves 
of  the  screw-pine  {Pandanus),  which  not  only  keep 
them  together,  but  increase  the  brilliancy  of  the 
light. 

These  nocturnal  fishing  expeditions  are  described 
as  producing  a  most  picturesque  effect.  Large  par- 
ties of  men  proceed  to  the  reef,  when  the  sea  is  com- 
paratively smooth,  and  hunt  the  totara,  or  hedge-hog- 
fish,  probably  a  species  of  Diodon:  and  it  is  a 
beautiful  and  interesting  spectacle,  to  behold  a  long 
line  of  reef  illuminated  by  the  flaming  torches,  the 
light  from  which  glares  redly  upon  the  foaming  surf 
without,  and  the  calm  lagoon  within.  Each  fisher- 
man holds  his  torch  in  his  left  hand  high  above  his 
head,  while  he  poises  his  spear  in  his  right,  and 
stands  with  statue-like  stillness,  watching  the  ap- 
proach of  the  fish. 

A  similiar  mode  of  fishing  is  practised  in  the  rivers, 
and  though  the  circumstances  are  different,  the  effect 
is  not  inferior.  "Few  scenes,"  says  Mr.  Ellis,  "pre- 
sent a  more  striking  and  singular  effect,  than  a  band 
of  natives  walking  along  the  shallow  parts  of  the 
rocky  sides  of  a  river,  elevating  a  torch  with  one 
hand,  and  a  spear  in  the  other;  while  the  glare  of 
their  torches  is  thrown  upon  the  overhanging  boughs, 
and  reflected  from  the  agitated  surface  of  the  stream  ; 
their  own  bronze- coloured  and  lightly -clothed  forms, 
partially  illuminated,  standing  like  figures  in  relief; 
while  the  whole  scene  appears  in  bright  contrast  with 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAN. 


309 


the  dark  and  almost  midnight  gloom  that  envelopes 
every  other  object."* 

Another  mode  of  fishing  by  torchlight  is  described 
by  the  late  Mr.  Williams,  who  accompanied  some 
natives  of  Atiu  on  an  excursion.  The  object  of  the 
pursuit  was  the  Flying- fish,  which  is  only  taken  by 
night.  Double  canoes  were  used,  which,  having 
been  dragged  from  the  rocks,  thirty  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  water,  down  a  broad  sloping  ladder,  were 
launched  over  the  surf.  A  torch  was  lighted,  and 
the  principal  fisherman  took  his  station  on  the  fore 


Fishing   by   Torchlight. 


part  of  the  canoe,  bearing  a  ring-net  attached  to  a 
light  pole   twelve  or  fifteen  feet  long.     The  rowers 

*  Poly.  Res.  i.  150. 


310  THE   OCEAN. 

now  commenced  paddling  with  all  their  might,  while 
the  headsman  produced  a  great  noise  by  stamping  on 
the  hollow  box  of  the  canoe.  The  Flying-fish,  which 
were  securely  feeding  at  the  outer  edge  of  the  reef, 
terrified  by  the  noise  and  splashing  of  the  oars, 
darted  out  to  sea.  The  torch  answered  a  double  pur- 
pose ;  enabling  the  headsman  to  discern  his  prey,  and 
dazzle  the  eyes  of  the  fishes ;  and  as  they  dashed  past 
the  canoe,  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  he  thrust 
forward  his  net,  and  turned  it  over  upon  them. 
Many  of  the  natives  have  acquired  great  skill  in 
this  exercise,  and  the  quickness  of  their  sight,  and 
the  celerity  of  their  movements  are  astonishing;  so 
that  sometimes  vast  quantities  of  fish  are  taken  in 
this  manner.'35' 

A  large  number  of  fishes  are  taken  with  the  hook, 
as  by  more  cultivated  nations ;  and  with  all  the 
superiority  in  art,  and  all  the  advantage  of  metals 
possessed  by  Europeans,  the  native-made  hooks  are 
preferred,  as  far  more  effective  than  ours.  Many 
of  them  are  really  beautiful  productions,  and,  when 
we  consider  their  total  want  of  metallic  tools,  ex- 
cite our  astonishment  at  the  skill  and  ingenuity  of 
the  manufacturers.  Our  hooks  are  all  made  on  one 
pattern,  however  varying  in  size;  but  the  forms 
of  theirs  are  exceedingly  various,  and  made  of  dif- 
ferent substances,  viz.,  wood,  shell,  and  bone.  "  The 
hooks  made  with  wood  are  curious;  some  are  ex- 
ceedingly small,  not  more  than  two  or  three  inches 
in  length,  but  remarkably  strong;  others  are  large. 
The    wooden   hooks  are   never    barbed,   but    simply 

*  Missionary  Enterprises,  p.  270. 


TIIE    PACIFIC   OCEAN. 


311 


pointed,  usually  curved  inwards  at  the  point,  but 
sometimes  standing  out  very  wide,  occasionally 
armed  at  the  point  with  a  piece  of  bone.  The 
best  are  hooks  ingeniously  made  with  the  small 
roots  of  the  aito-tree,  or  iron-wood  (Casuanna). 
In  selecting  a  root  for  this  purpose,  they  choose 
one  partially  exposed,  and  growing  by  the  side  of 
a  bank,  preferring  such  as  are  free  from  knots  and! 
other  excrescences.  The  root  is  twisted  into  the 
shape    they  wish    the    future  hook  to    assume,  and 


Polynesian    Fishing-tackle. 


allowed  to  grow  till  it  has  reached  a  size  large 
enough  to  allow  of  the  outside  or  soft  parts  being 
removed,  and  a  sufficiency  remaining  to  form  the 
hook.     Some   hooks   thus   prepared    are   not   mucb 


312  THE    OCEAN. 

thicker  than  a  quill,  and  perhaps  three  or  four 
inches  in  length.  Those  used  in  taking  sharks  are 
formidable-looking  weapons;  some  are  a  foot  or 
fifteen  inches  long,  exclusive  of  the  curvatures,  and 
not  less  than  an  inch  in  diameter.  They  are  such 
frightful  things,  that  no  fish,  less  voracious  than  a 
shark,  would  approach  them.  In  some  the  marks 
of  the  sharks'  teeth  are  numerous  and  deep,  and 
indicate  the  effect  with  which  they  have  been 
used."* 

The  most  curious,  as  well  as  most  serviceable 
hooks,  are  made  of  the  inner  part  of  the  shell  of 
the  pearl-oyster,  or  other  large  bivalves,  the  inte- 
rior of  which  is  pearly,  called  mother-of-pearl. 
These  have  great  care  and  pains  bestowed  upon 
them :  the  smaller  ones  are  cut  almost  circular,  and 
made  to  resemble  a  worm,  thus  answering  the  pur- 
pose of  bait  as  well  as  hook.  A  much  larger  kind 
is  that  used  for  the  capture  of  the  albacore,  bonito, 
and  coryphene.  The  shank  is  about  six  inches  in 
length,  and  nearly  an  inch  in  width,  cut  out  of 
pearl-shell,  in  the  shape  of  a  small  fish,  and  finely 
polished.  The  barb  is  formed  separately ;  it  is  an 
inch  and  a  half  in  length,  and  is  firmly  bound  in 
its  place  by  a  bandage  of  fine  flax.  The  line  is 
fastened  to  this,  and  braided  all  along  the  curve  of 
the  hook,  and  again  fastened  at  the  head.  Some- 
times a  number  of  long  bristles  are  attached  to  the 
shell  to  mimic  the  appearance  of  the  Flying-fish. 

The  line  is  affixed  to  the  end  of  a  long  bamboo 
rod ;  and  the  anglers,  sitting  in  the  stern  of  a  light 

*  Ellis. 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAN. 


313 


single  canoe,  are  rowed  briskly  over  the  waves.  The 
rod  is  held  so  that  the  hook  shall  just  skim  the 
tops  of  the  billows ;  the  albacorc  or  bonito,  deceived 
by  the  resemblance,  leaps  after  the  fancied  Flying- 
fish,  and  finds  itself  a  prey.  Twenty  or  thirty  large 
fishes  are  occasionally  taken  by  two  men  in  tins 
manner,  in  the  course  of  a  morning. 

A  still  more  ingenious  mode  of  deception  is  prac- 
tised upon  these  large  fishes,  by  employing  a  swift 
double  canoe,  from  the  bows  of  which  projects  into 
the  air  a  long  curved  pole  resembling  a  crane.  At 
some  distance  from  the  end  this  divides  into  twc 


^fe&^S 


Angling  in  a  Double   Canoe. 


branches,  which  diverge  from  each  other.  The  foot 
is  secured  in  a  sort  of  socket  between  the  two  canoes, 
and  is  so  managed  that  the  ends  of   the  pole   are 

2  D 


314  THE   OCEAN. 

capable  of  being  lowered  or  elevated  by  a  rope  which 
proceeds  from  the  fork.  A  man  sits  in  the  high 
stern,  holding  this  rope  in  his  hand,  and  watching 
the  capture  of  the  fishes.  From  the  end  of  the  pro- 
jecting arms  depends  the  line,  with  the  pearl-hook 
fashioned  to  resemble  the  Flying-fish.  To  increase 
the  deception,  bunches  of  feathers  are  fastened  to 
the  tips  of  the  arms,  to  represent  those  aquatic 
birds  which  habitually  follow  the  Flying-fish  in  its 
course,  to  seize  it  in  the  air.  The  presence  of 
these  birds  is  so  sure  an  indication  of  the  position 
of  the  fish,  that  the  fishermen  hasten  to  the  spot 
where  they  are  seen  hovering  in  the  air.  The  canoe 
skims  rapidly  along,  rising  and  falling  on  the  waves, 
by  which  a  similar  motion  is  communicated  to  the 
hook,  which  skips  along,  sometimes  out  and  some- 
times in  the  water,  while  the  plumes  of  feathers 
flutter  immediately  above.  The  artifice  rarely  fails 
to  succeed ;  if  the  bonito  perceives  the  hook,  he 
instantly  engages  in  pursuit,  and  if  he  misses  his 
grasp,  perseveres  until  he  has  seized  it.  The  mo- 
ment the  man  in  the  stern  perceives  the  capture, 
he  hoists  the  crane,  and  the  fish  is  dragged  in, 
and  thrown  into  a  sort  of  long  basket,  suspended 
between  the  two  canoes.  The  crane  is  then  lowered 
again,  and  all  is  ready  for  another  candidate. 

Yet  another  mode  of  fishing,  not  wanting  in  in- 
genuity, is  adopted  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  Samoa 
group.  A  number  of  hollow  floats,  about  eight 
inches  in  height,  and  the  same  in  diameter,  are  at- 
tached to  a  stout  cord,  a  short  distance  apart.  To 
each  of    them  a   line    is    attached,  about    a  foot    in 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAN.  315 

length,  to  the  end  of  which  a  piece  of  fish-bone 
is  suspended  by  the  middle.  This  bone  is  ground 
exceedingly  sharp  at  each  end,  so  that  when  it  is 
seized  by  the  fish,  the  points  enter  the  mouth  in 
contrary  directions,  and  secure  it.  The  floats  an- 
swer other  purposes  besides  the  obvious  one  of 
regulating  the  depth  of  the  snare,  attracting  the 
fish  by  the  whiteness  of  their  surface,  and  showing 
by  their  motion  when  the  prey  was  taken. 

Not  only  in  the  smooth  waters  of  the  lagoon 
channels  is  the  hook  and  line  used,  but  in  the  open 
Ocean ;  as,  notwithstanding  the  frail  character  of 
their  vessels,  the  barbarous  natives  of  these  oceanic 
isles  are  skilful  and  fearless  in  navigation.  Even 
the  terrific  shark  is  attacked  in  his  own  element; 
sometimes  involved  in  a  net,  when  frequently  he 
makes  havoc  among  the  fishermen  before  he  can 
be  transfixed  by  their  spears;  and  sometimes  caught, 
as  intimated  above,  with  the  insidious  hook.  The 
most  daring  young  men,  usually  the  chiefs,  are  the 
first  to  assault  the  monster;  while  the  elders  watch 
the  proceedings  in  their  canoes  from  a  distance,  par- 
takers of  the  excitement,  though  no  longer  sharers 
of  the  heroism.  The  eagerness  with  which  these 
expeditions  are  set  on  foot,  and  the  ardour  with 
which  they  are  prosecuted,  are  only  ecpualled  by  the 
excited  feelings  of  those  who,  in  other  countries, 
pursue  the  more  noble  objects  of  the  chase. 

The  fishes  of  these  seas  are,  many  of  them,  in- 
teresting ;  some  of  them  have  been  already  named. 
The  Albacore  and  the  Bonito  are  common  in  the 
tropical  parts  of  the  Pacific,  and  are  both  members 


316  THE    OCEAN. 

of  the  Mackerel  family.  They  are  of  considerable 
size,  but  the  Albacore  {Scoher  Germo)  is  the  larger, 
sometimes  being  found  six  feet  in  length.  Like  its 
relative,  our  own  Mackerel,  it  is  a  fish  of  much 
elegance,  and  its  colours  are  beautiful.  The  back 
is  bright  azure,  with  a  golden  tint;  the  belly  and 
sides  silvery,  with  rainbow  reflections,  like  mother- 
of-pearl,  and  the  same  notched  fins  near  the  tail 
are  bright  yellow.  In  slight  winds,  when  the  mo- 
tion of  a  ship  is  slow,  these  fishes  are  usually  to 
be  seen  around  her;  if  she  be  becalmed,  and  con- 
sequently motionless,  they  remain  at  some  little 
distance,  when  the  most  tempting  bait  is  ineffec- 
tual ;  but  if  she  be  sailing  rapidly  before  a  brisk 
breeze,  they  pertinaciously  keep  her  company,  keep- 
ing close  alongside,  and  seizing  the  hook  with  avi- 
dity. The  Albacore,  as  already  hinted,  is  one  of 
the  hunters  of  the  little  Flying-fish.  It  is  said  to 
be  highly  interesting  to  watch  one  of  these  fishes 
keenly  engaged  in  pursuit  of  its  volatile  prey :  to 
mark  the  precision  with  which  it  keeps  exactly  be- 
neath during  the  aerial  leaps  of  the  victim,  keeping 
it  steadily  in  sight,  prepared  to  snap  it  up,  on  the 
instant  of  its  submersion.  The  Flying-fish,  how- 
ever, by  its  exceeding  agility,  darting  again  into 
the  air  in  a  moment,  sometimes  contrives  to  escape 
the  fearful  jaws  of  its  adversary. 

The  Albacore,  in  its  turn,  has  occasion  to  exer- 
cise cunning  and  contrivance,  to  evade  the  attacks 
of  a  still  mightier  foe.  Mr.  F.  D.  Dennett  mentions 
that,  on  one  occasion,  "The  Albacore  around  the 
ship  afforded   us    an    extraordinary  spectacle;    they 


THE   PACIFIC   OCEAN.  21 Y 

were  collected  close  to  the  keel  of  the  vessel,  in  one 
dense  mass,  of  extraordinary  depth  and  breadth, 
and  swam  with  an  appearance  of  trepidation  and 
watchfulness.  The  cause  of  this  unusual  commo- 
tion was  visible  in  a  Sword-fish  lurking  astern, 
awaiting  a  favourable  opportunity  to  rush  upon 
his  prey  when  they  should  be  unconscious  of  danger, 
or  away  from  the  protection  of  the  ship.  The 
assembled  Albacore  continued,  in  the  mean  time,  to 
pass  under  the  keel  of  the  vessel,  from  one  side  to 
the  other,  often  turning  simultaneously  on  their  side 
to  look  for  the  enemy :  their  abdomens  glittering 
in  the  sun  as  a  wide  expanse  of  dazzling  silver.  It 
was  evident  that  the  Sword-fish  desired  but  a  clear 
field  for  his  exertions ;  and  in  the  course  of  the 
day  we  observed  him  make  several  dashes  amongst 
the  shoal,  with  a  velocity  which  produced  a  loud 
rushing  sound  in  the  sea;  his  body,  which,  when 
tranquil,  was  of  a  dull  brown  colour,  assuming  at 
these  times  an  azure  hue."  * 

Mr.  Bennett  conjectures  with  much  probability, 
that  it  is  as  a  protection  against  the  attacks  of  the 
Sword-fish,  that  Albacore  and  other  fishes  so  often 
attach  themselves  to  a  ship,  or  the  body  of  a  whale; 
the  vicinity  of  so  large  a  body  being  sufficient  to 
deter  the  former  from  making  his  impetuous  thrusts 
among  the  shoal,  lest  his  bony  weapon  being  driven 
into  the  solid  substance  by  the  violence  of  his 
assault,  he  miofht  not  be  able  to  retract  it.  Instances 
are  not  rare,  however,  in  which  the  Sword-fish, 
perhaps  forgetting  his  usual  caution,  (for  he  is  re- 

*  Whaling  Voyage,  vol.  i.  p.  270. 
2d  2 


318  THE   OCEAN. 

puted  a  very  cautious  fish,)  has  left  his  sword  in 
the  hull  of  a  ship.  The  Foxhound,  a  South  Sea 
whaler,  was  cruising  in  the  Pacific  in  1817,  when 
one  day,  when  most  of  the  crew  were  below  at 
dinner,  a  loud  splashing  was  suddenly  heard  in  the 
sea  by  a  New  Zealander  on  deck,  who,  on  looking 
over  the  side,  saw  a  large  dark  body  sinking,  and 
immediately  gave  the  alarm  of  a  man  overboard. 
The  crew,  however,  were  found  to  be  complete, 
and  the  occurrence  passed  over.  Soon  after,  one 
of  the  men  observed  a  rugged  object  projecting 
from  the  vessel's  side,  which,  on  examination,  proved 
to  be  the  snout  of  a  Sword-fish,  with  part  of  the 
head  attached,  broken  off  by  the  fracture  of  the 
skull.  On  the  vessel's  arriving  at  Sydney,  the  pro- 
jecting part  was  sawn  off,  after  vain  endeavours  to 
extract  the  weapon;  and  at  the  conclusion  of  the 
voyage,  the  pierced  wood  was  taken  out  and  placed 
in  the  British  Museum. 

It  is  worthy  of  observation  that,  with  very  few 
exceptions,  the  immense  population  of  the  Ocean 
is  carnivorous.  The  principal  circumstance  that 
regulates  the  choice  of  diet  among  fishes  seems  to 
be  the  power  of  mastery.  Of  terrestrial  creatures, 
a  very  large  number  are  peaceful,  never,  under 
ordinary  circumstances,  willingly  taking  the  life  of 
even  the  most  helpless  around  them ;  but  the  sea 
is  a  vast  slaughterhouse,  where  nearly  every  inha- 
bitant dies  a  violent  death,  and  finds  a  grave  in  the 
maw  of  his  fellow.  We  have  just  seen  the  Sword- 
fish  pre}Mng  upon  the  Albacore,  and  the  Albacore 
upon    the    Flying-fish;    while  the  Flying-fish  itself, 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAX.  31 9 

though  so  general  a  favourite,  is  the  greedy  devourer 
of  other  fishes  smaller  than  itself.  Yet  let  us  not 
arraign  the  providence  of  God,  as  if  it  were  cruel 
and  unkind :  a  sudden  termination  of  existence  is 
the  most  merciful  mode,  as  far  as  we  can  conceive, 
by  which  the  overflow  of  animal  life  could  be 
checked. 

"Harsh  seems  the  ordinance,  that  life  by  life 
Should  be  sustain'd;  and  yet  when  all  must  die, 
And  be  like  water  spilt  upon  the  ground, 
Which  none  can  gather  up, — the  speediest  fate, 
Though  violent  and  terrible,  is  best. 
0,  with  what  horrors  would  creation  groan, 
What  agonies  would  ever  be  before  us, — 
Famine  and  pestilence,  disease,  despair, 
Anguish  and  pain  in  every  hideous  shape, 
Had  all  to  wait  the  slow  decay  of  Xature  ! 
Life  were  a  martyrdom  of  sympathy; 
Death,  lingering,  raging,  writhing,  shrieking  torture; 
The  grave  would  be  abolished ;  this  gay  world 
A  valley  of  dry  bones,  a  Golgotha, 
In  which  the  living  stumbled  o'er  the  dead, 
Till  they  could  fall  no  more,  and  blind  perdition 
Swept  frail  mortality  away  forever. 
'Twas  wisdom,  mercy,  goodness  that  ordain'd 
Life  in  such  infinite  profusion, — Death 
So  sure,  so  prompt,  so  multiform  to  those 
That  never  sinn'd,  that  know  not  guilt,  that  fear 
No  wrath  to  come,  and  have  no  heaven  to  lose."* 

Before  we  leave  these  charming  regions,  we  will 
for  a  moment  notice  a  few  other  of  the  various 
tribes  of  living  beings  that  make  the  sea  their  home. 
A  curious  example  of  instinctive  stratagem  occurs 

in  a  little  crab  {Hyas ?)  which  is  common  upon 

the  shore-reefs.     It  is  about  six   inches  in  circum* 

*  Pelican  Island. 


320  THE    OCEAN. 

ference,  of  a  dull  brown  hue,  the  body  and  legs 
entirely  covered  with  stiff,  curved  bristles.  It  covers 
itself  with  decaying  vegetable  rubbish,  mud,  sand, 
&c,  and  thus  lies  in  ambush  for  its  passing  prey. 
Thus  masked,  it  maintains  its  assumed  character 
by  the  most  sluggish  movements,  as  if  the  little 
heap  were  slightly  moved  by  the  tide ;  but,  when 
taken  into  the  hand,  or  otherwise  alarmed,  it  can 
be  sufficiently  active.  The  spines  upon  its  body 
to  retain  the  rubbish,  the  short  but  strong  claws 
easily  concealed,  the  eyes  placed  at  the  end  of  long 
footstalks,  curving  upwards  and  thus  raised  above 
the  mass,  show  beautiful  adaptations  of  its  structure 
to  its  economy. 

Another  crab  of  the  reef  (Cahppa  tvberculata), 
makes  use  of  another  artifice  for  concealment.  It 
is  heart-shaped,  with  the  margin  of  its  shell  pro- 
jecting broadly.  When  alarmed,  it  draws  its  feet 
under  the  margin,  and  folds  them  close  to  its  side, 
claps  its  broad  flat  claws  upon  its  head,  and  lies 
motionless,  in  which  state  it  may  be  handled  with- 
out manifesting  any  sign  of  life.  A  sailor  seeing 
one  of  these  little  crabs  on  the  shore,  picked  it  up, 
and  after  admiring  it  awhile,  put  it  into  his  pocket 
as  a  "curious  stone;"  he  was  presently  astonished  by 
the  efforts  of  his  prize  to  escape  from  durance  vile. 

On  the  barrier  reefs  are  found  elegant  animal- 
flowers  (Diazona),  expanding  their  numerous  tenta- 
cles of  pink  and  white,  which  form  a  wide  circular 
disk,  at  the  summit  of  a  round  fleshy  stem.  If 
touched,  or  otherwise  alarmed,  they  rapidly  fold  in- 
wards their  beautiful  tentacles,  and  sink  to  the  rock, 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAN.  321 

contracting  to  a  very  diminutive  size,  so  as  easily 
to  elude  observation.  The  same  reefs  are  enlivened 
also  b3r  numbers  of  another  species  of  Sea-anemone 
(Zoanthus),  which  cover  large  surfaces  of  the  rock, 
like  beautiful  carpets  or  mats  of  wide  expanse. 
When  opened  beneath  the  water,  under  the  beams 
of  the  sun,  they  display  a  series  of  squares  with 
elevated  margins,  the  interior  being  of  a  bright 
green,  the  exterior  of  a  fawn  colour.  These,  also, 
contract  instantly  on  the  slightest  touch;  and  thus 
entire  fields  of  them,  being  connected  together  by 
a  common  fleshy  disk  upon  the  rock,  are  changed 
in  a  moment,  as  if  by  magic,  from  brilliant  green  to 
dull  brown,  which  again,  as  they  recover  from  their 
alarm,  is  soon  replaced  by  the  verdant  hue. 

Numerous  species  of  Squid  and  Cuttle  are  ob- 
served in  the  Pacific,  several  of  which  have  the 
power  of  making  long  leaps  out  of  the  water,  even 
to  the  same  height  and  distance  as  the  Flying-fish, 
whence  these  kinds  are  denominated  by  seamen, 
Flying  Squid.  One  of  these,  which  appears  to  have 
been  an  Onychoteuthis,  is  described  by  Mr.  F.  D.  Ben- 
nett, as  having  fallen,  in  one  of  its  leaps,  upon  the 
deck  of  the  ship  in  which  he  was  sailing.  The 
whole  class  to  which  these  animals  belong  is  re- 
markable for  the  powerful  apparatus  with  which  the 
animals  are  endowed  for  seizing  prey,  in  the  nume- 
rous long  and  flexible  arms,  furnished  with  cup- 
like suckers,  which  forcibly  adhere  to  any  object 
at  the  will  of  the  creature.  But  the  genus  just 
mentioned  is  favoured  above  its  fellows;  for,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  usual  structure,  there  is  placed  in  each 

21 


322  THE    OCEAN. 

sucker-cup  of  the  long  feet,  a  sharp  projecting 
hook.  On  the  smooth  and  glossy  scales  of  fishes, 
lubricated  with  slime,  it  might  not  be  always  easy 
at  once  to  create  a  vacuum;  but  these  hooks  are 
plunged  by  the  action  of  the  sucker  into  the  flesh 
of  the  struggling  victim,  whereby  a  firm  hold  is 
obtained,  and  the  prey  is  dragged  to  the  powerful 
beak. 

Some  of  these  animals  frequent  the  crevices  and 
holes  of  the  rocks,  whence  they  protrude  their  long 
arms  for  the  capture  of  prey.  They  form  an  ac- 
ceptable article  of  food  to  the  South-Sea  islanders, 
who  have  exercised  their  ingenuity  in  devising  a 
mode  of  entrapping  them.  The  instrument  employ- 
ed for  this  purpose  is  described  as  a  straight  piece 
of  hard  wood,  a  foot  long,  round,  and  polished,  and 
not  half  an  inch  in  diameter.  Near  one  end  of 
this,  a  number  of  the  most  beautiful  pieces  of  the 
cowry,  or  tiger-shell,  are  fastened  one  over  another, 
like  the  scales  of  a  fish  or  the  plates  of  a  piece  of. 
armour,  until  it  is  about  the  size  of  a  turkey's  egg, 
and  resembles  the  cowry.  It  is  suspended  in  a 
horizontal  position,  by  a  strong  line,  and  lowered 
by  the  fisherman  from  a  small  canoe,  until  it  nearly 
reaches  the  bottom.  The  fisherman  then  gently 
jerks  the  line,  causing  the  shell  to  move  as  if  inhabit- 
ed by  an  animal.  The  Cuttle,  deceived  by  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  supposed  cowry  (for  no  bait  is  used), 
darts  out  one  of  its  arms,  which  it  winds  around 
the  shell,  adhering  fast  by  its  suckers.  The  fish- 
erman continues  jerking  the  line,  and  the  Cuttle 
strengthens  its  hold  by  affixing    mor«  of   its  arms, 


THE    PACIFIC   OCEAN.  323 

until  its  adhesion  is  very  strong,  when,  rather  than 
quit  its  prey,  it  permits  itself  to  be  dragged  from 
its  retreat  to  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  cap- 
tured.* 

There  are  certain  species  of  oceanic  birds  which 
it  is  difficult  to  identify  with  any  particular  region, 
as  they  are  true  cosmopolites.  The  Tropic-birds, 
Albatrosses,  Terns,  Petrels,  and  Boobies,  are  of  this 
extended  character,  following  and  attending  the 
voyager  for  many  thousands  of  miles,  and  even  from 
one  ocean  into  another.  Yet  there  are  certain, 
though  somewhat  indefinite,  limits  to  their  range; 
limits  governed,  however,  by  climate,  rather  than  by 
physical  boundaries.  Thus  the  Dusky  Albatross 
(Diomedea  fuliginosa)  was  observed  by  Captain 
Beechy  to  be  numerous  in  the  Atlantic  from  the 
Rio  de  la  Plata  to  the  latitude  of  51°  south;  when 
it  suddenly  disappeared;  but  after  rounding  Cape 
Horn,  the  species  again  occurred  at  the  very  same 
latitude  of  51°,  and  continued  numerous  all  up  the 
coast  of  Chili. 

The  Tropic-birds  (Phaeton)  in  like  manner,  as 
their  name  imports,  chiefly  frequent  the  Ocean 
within  the  tropics;  and  according  to  the  statements  of 
all  voyagers,  are  very  rarely  seen  beyond  the  parallel 
of  35°.  In  a  vovage  to  Newfoundland,  however,  in 
1827,  I  frequently  saw  the  Tropic-bird,  though  our 
latitude  during  the  whole  voyage  was  not  so  low 
as  40°.  Elevated  in  the  air,  far  above  the  mast- 
head, the  long  projecting  tail-feathers,  looking  like 
a  single   slender   shaft,   while  it  turns  its  head  to 

*  Ellis. 


324  THE    OCEAN. 

and  fro,  as  on  suspended  wing  it  examines  tlie  ves- 
sel below,  it  is  not  liable  to  be  confounded  with 
any  other  ocean-bird.  The  seamen  have  given  it 
the  name  of  "boatswain;"  perhaps  on  account  of  its 
shrill  whistling  note,  like  the  official  call  of  that 
authoritative  personage ;  or,  as  I  was  told,  because 
it  carries  a  marline- sj)ike.  This  was,  doubtless,  P. 
sElherius ;  which  has  the  feathers  of  the  tail  white, 
but  the  Pacific  species  (P.  Phcenkurus)  is  much 
more  handsome,  the  tail  being  scarlet.  They  are 
thoroughly  ocean-birds,  rarely  approaching  the  land 
except  to  lay  and  hatch  their  eggs.  The  Red-tailed 
Phaeton  excavates  a  hollow  in  the  sand  for  this 
purpose,  beneath  the  shade  of  bushes,  where  she 
lays  one  egg :  the  islanders  frequently  take  the  old 
birds  from  the  nest,  for  the  tail-feathers,  which  are 
highly  esteemed. 

The  Albatrosses  are  large  birds,  being  but  little 
inferior  to  a  swan  in  size.  The  floating  carcass  of  a 
whale  affords  a  rich  feast  to  many  sea-birds,  among 
which  these  are  pre-eminent,  now  swooping  in  the 
air,  now  alighting  on  the  body,  now  swimming  and 
feeding  on  the  fragments  of  oily  fat  that  escape ; 
now  screaming  harshly  as  they  quarrel  for  the  offal. 
They  are  powerfully  endued  for  flight,  and  make 
vast  excursions  from  land,  ranging  through  the  whole 
Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans. 

I  have  already  alluded  to  the  singular  manner  in 
which  the  body  of  a  sea-bird  is  penetrated  by  air. 
Mr.  Bennett  records  a  very  curious  circumstance 
resulting  from  this  structure,  in  the  case  of  a  bird 
allied   to   the  Albatross,  taken  in  the   Pacific  Ocean. 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAN".  325 

It  "was  shot  in  the  wing,  and  brought  on  board 
alive,  fighting  savagely  with  its  beak  and  feet. 
With  a  view  to  preserving  its  plumage  uninjured,  I 
endeavoured  to  destroy  the  bird  by  compressing  its 
windpipe;  but  found  that  as  the  breathing  became 
laborious,  a  load  whistling  sound  was  emitted  from 
some  part  of  the  body ;  and  upon  close  investigation 
traced  it  to  the  bone  of  the  wing,  which  was  frac- 
tured across,  and  projected  through  the  skin,  and 
admitted  within  its  tube  a  forcible  current  of  air, 
whenever  the  lungs  made  an  effort  at  respiration : 
the  bird  was,  in  fact,  breathing  through  its  broken 
wing;  and  so  sufficient  was  the  supply  of  air  the 
lungs  received  through  this  novel  channel,  that  I 
was  wearied  by  my  attempts  to  suffocate  my  prize, 
and  was  compelled  to  destroy  it  in  another  man- 
ner."* 

Every  one  who  has  read  the  romantic  narratives 
of  the  old  voyagers,  is  familiar  with  the  name  of 
the  Booby  (Sula  fusca),  so  named  by  seamen  from 
its  apparent  stupidity  and  familiarity,  suffering  itself 
to  be  knocked  down  with  a  stick  or  taken  with 
the  hand,  when  it  alights,  as  it  often  does,  on  the 
spars  or  shrouds  of  a  vessel.  This  habit  seems  quite 
unaccountable;  many  other  birds  have  manifested 
a  similar  fearlessness  of  man  when  first  discovered, 
but  have  soon  learned  the  necessity  of  precaution: 
but  the  Booby  will  manifest  the  same  unnatural 
tameness  after  being  long  accustomed  to  the  cruelty 
of  man.  It  does  not  arise  from  helplessness,  as  it 
is  a  bird  of  powerful  wing,  like  its  relative,  the  com- 

*  Whaling  Voyage,  i.  260. 
2E 


326  THE   OCEAN. 

mon  Gannet;  neither  is  it  a  sufficient  explanation 
to  affirm,  as  is  sometimes  done,  that  it  arises  from 
a  peculiar  difficulty  in  rising  to  flight  after  alight- 
ing, because  it  is  not  un frequently  caught  in  the  air 
by  the  hand;  so  incautiously  does  it  approach  man. 
Notwithstanding  this  apparent  stupidity,  the  Booby 
is  a  dexterous  fisher:  hovering  over  a  shoal  of  fishes, 
he  eagerly  watches  their  motions,  turning  his  head 
from  side  to  side  in  a  very  ludicrous  manner;  he 
presently  sees  one  of  the  unwary  group  approach 
the  surface;  down  he  pounces  like  a  stone,  plunging 
into  the  ware,  which  boils  into  foam  with  the  shock. 
Nor  fails  he  to  seize  the  scaly  victim,  with  which 
he  emerges  into  the  air,  and  soon  it  is  lodged 
whole  in  his  capacious  stomach.  But  the  Frigate- 
bird  (Tachypetes  aquilus)  has  watched  the  proceeding, 
and  instantly  betakes  himself  to  the  pursuit;  flight 
is  vain  from  the  swiftest  ranger  of  the  Ocean,  whose 
extended  wings  measure  a  width  of  seven  feet.  The 
Frigate-bird  swooping  down  upon  the  unfortunate 
Booby,  compels  him  to  disgorge  the  fish  which  he 
has  just  swallowed,  and  which,  long  ere  it  can  reach 
the  water,  is  seized,  and  again  devoured  by  the  op- 
pressor. 

The  Frigate-bird  neither  swims  nor  dives;  the 
seamen  fully  believe  that  it  even  sleeps  upon  the 
wing;  whether  this  be  so  or  not,  there  is  good 
evidence  that  the  same  individuals  will  remain  in 
the  air  for  several  successive  days :  they  are  never 
known  to  alight  on  a  vessel.  Though  the  chase  of 
the  Booby  is  so  usual  as  to  be  considered  one  of 
its  constant  means  of  dependence,  yet  it  also  fishes 


THE    PACIFIC    OCEAN.  321 

for  itself;  precluded,  however,  from  plunging  into 
the  sea;  it  can  take  only  sucli  as,  like  the  Fly  in g- 
n*sh,  leap  into  another  element.  With  such  suc- 
cess, however,  does  it  attack  these,  that  it  has  been 
seen  to  snap  up  three  in  succession  in  the  course 
of  a  few  minutes.  If,  after  having  captured  a  fish, 
it  is  awkwardly  placed  in  the  beak,  it  hesitates 
not  to  drop  it,  secure  of  seizing  it  again  in  the 
descent. 

To  the  immense  congregations  of  aquatic  birds, 
for  the  purpose  of  hatching  and  rearing  their  young 
in  places  congenial  to  their  habits,  allusion  has 
already  been  made;  and  the  following  picture,  vividly 
drawn  by  the  pen  of  an  accomplished  naturalist,  is 
probably  not  overcharged. 

Le  Vaillant,  on  visiting  the  tomb  of  a  Danish 
captain  at  Saldanha  Bay,  near  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  beheld,  after  wading  through  the  surf,  and 
clambering  up  the  rocks,  such  a  spectacle  as  he 
supposed  had  never  appeared  to  the  eye  of  mortal. 
"All  of  a  sudden,  there  arose  from  the  whole  sur- 
face of  the  island  an  impenetrable  cloud,  which 
formed,  at  the  distance  of  forty  feet  above  our  heads, 
an  immense  canopy,  or  rather  a  sky,  composed  of 
birds  of  every  species,  and  of  all  colours; — cormo- 
rants, sea-gulls,  sea-swallows,  pelicans,  and,  I  believe, 
the  whole  winged  tribe  of  that  part  of  Africa, 
was  here  assembled.  All  their  voices  mingled  to- 
gether, and,  modified  according  to  their  different 
kinds,  formed  such  a  horrid  music,  that  I  was  every 
moment  obliged  to  cover  my  head  to  give  a  little 
relief  to  my  ears.     The  alarm  which  we  spread  was 


328  THE    OCEAN. 

so  much  the  more  general  among  these  innumerable 
regions  of  birds,  as  we  principally  disturbed  the 
females  which  were  then  sitting.  They  had  nests, 
eggs,  and  young  to  defend.  They  were  like  furious 
harpies  let  loose  against  us,  and  their  cries  ren- 
dered us  almost  deaf.  They  often  flew  so  near  us, 
that  they  flapped  their  wings  in  our  faces,  and 
though  we  fired  our  pieces  repeatedly,  we  were  not 
able  to  frighten  them :  it  seemed  almost  impossible 
to  disperse  this  cloud." 


THE   INDIAN   OCEAN. 


The  remaining  great  division  of  the  waters  of  our 
globe  is  considerably  less  extensive  than  either  of 
the  others,  but  is  scarcely  less  important,  inasmuch 
as  it  is  the  pathway  of  the  richest  commerce  of  the 
world,  the  high  road  on  which  are  borne  the  gems, 
and  gold,  and  spices  of  the  gorgeous  East.  It  is 
separated  from  the  Pacific  by  that  grand  assemblage 
of  islands  known  as  the  Oriental  Archipelago,  which, 
for  their  immense  size,  the  teeming  luxuriance  of 
their  vegetation,  and  the  valuable  character  of  many 
of  their  productions,  have  no  rivals.  The  isles  of 
New  Guinea,  Borneo,  and  Sumatra  are  the  largest 
in  the  world :  their  soil  possesses  a  fertility  that 
seems  inexhaustible ;  their  produce  consists  of  the 
nutmeg,  the  clove,  and  other  costly  spices;  frankin- 
cense, camphor,  and  other  odoriferous  gums;  dia- 
monds, rubies,  and  other  precious  stones;  gold, 
silver,  silks,  tortoise-shell,  pearls,  sandal-wood,  and 
drugs,  the  most  valued  of  earthly  things. 

It  is  a  singular  fact,  that  at  the  very  same  point 
of  time  when  the  genius  and  daring  of  Columbus 
were  leading  Spain  into  the  possession  of  a  new 
world  in  the  west,  Portuguese  enterprise  was  laying 
open  the  still  more  splendid  and  gorgeous  regions 
of  Asia  in  the  east.     It  was  in  1497  that  Vaseo  de 

2  e  2  (329) 


330  THE    OCEAN. 

Gama  rounded  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  pene- 
trated to  climes  which  had  hitherto  been  invested 
with  all  the  romance  of  mystery  and  fable ;  then 
commencing  a  commerce  which  has  poured  incalcu- 
lable wealth  into  the  lap  of  Europe. 

This  immense  archipelago,  which  occupies  a  tract 
»)f  the  Ocean  four  thousand  miles  in  length,  and 
iburteen  hundred  in  breadth,  is  an  assemblage  of 
islands  perfectly  unique.  The  multitudinous  islets 
of  the  Pacific,  if  all  united,  would  not  together  form 
a  third-rate  island  of  this  group.  The  land,  though 
broken  with  countless  thousands  of  isles,  so  equally 
divides  the  space  with  the  sea,  that  one  is  at  a  loss 
to  say  which  predominates.  A  large  majority  of 
the  smaller  isles  and  reefs  are  of  the  same  struc- 
ture as  the  coral  atolls  of  Polynesia,  and  present 
a  similar  character  in  their  zoology  and  botany;  but 
the  large;*  tracts  of  land,  almost  a  continent  in  their 
dimensions,  are  of  the  old  formations.  The  widely - 
scattered  groups  of  small  islands  on  the  northern 
boundary,  indeed, — the  Ladrones,  the  Carolines,  the 
Pelews,  &c,  we  are  at  a  loss  to  distinguish :  they 
are  usually  aiTunged  in  the  Indian  Archipelago, 
while  they  are  decidedly  Polynesian  in  their  cha- 
racters. 

The  boats  which  are  used  by  the  natives  of  these 
islands,  from  their  very  peculiar  construction,  as 
well  as  from  their  unrivalled  powers  of  sailing, 
demand  a  moment's  notice.  Lord  Anson,  who  first 
met  with  them  at  the  Ladrone  Islands,  and  who  calls 
them  Hying  proas,  considers  them  "so  singular  and 
extraordinary  an  invention,  that  it  would  do  honour 


THE    INDIAN    OCEAN.  331 

to  any  nation,  however  dexterous  and  acute.  Since, 
if  we  consider  the  aptitude  of  this  proa  to  the 
navigation  of  these  islands,  which,  lying  all  of  them 
nearly  under  the  same  meridian,  and  within  the 
limits  of  the  trade-wind,  requires  the  vessels  made 
use  of  in  passing  from  one  to  the  other  to  be 
peculiarly  fitted  for  sailing  with  the  wind  upon  the 
beam;  or,  if  we  examine  the  uncommon  simplicity 
and  ingenuity  of  its  fabric  and  contrivance,  or  the 
extraordinary  velocity  with  which  it  moves,  we  shall 
in  each  of  these  particulars  find  it  worthy  of  our 
admiration,  and  deserving  a  place  amongst  the 
mechanical  productions  of  the  most  civilized  na- 
tions, where  arts  and  sciences  have  most  eminently 
flourished."* 

In  direct  contradiction  to  the  practice  of  civilized 
nations,  the  proa  is  built  with  the  two  ends  alike, 
but  the  two  sides  different.  It  is  intended  never 
to  turn,  but  always  to  present  the  same  side  to  the 
wind ;  the  bow  becoming  the  stern,  and  the  stern 
the  bow,  at  pleasure.  The  ends  of  the  boat  are 
high  and  project  much  above  the  water ;  the  wind- 
ward side  is  rounded,  as  in  other  vessels  ;  but  the 
lee  side  is  flat,  and  almost  perpendicular.  As  the 
depth  greatly  exceeds  the  breadth,  it  would,  of 
course,  instantly  fall  over  on  the  leeward  side,  but 
for  an  ingenious  contrivance  already  alluded  to  as 
used  in  the  Polynesian  islands.  A  lio-ht  but  strong 
frame  is  run  out  horizontally  to  windward,  to  the 
end  of  which  is  fastened  a  hollow  log,  fashioned  into 
the  shape  of  a  small   boat,  which  floats   upon   the 

"  Anson's  Voyage,  p.  339. 


332 


THE    OCEAN. 


water,  preventing  the  capsizing  of  the  proa  in  that 
direction ;  while  the  weight  of  the  apparatus,  called 
an  outrigger,  prevents  the  same  accident  on  the 
other.  A  mast  rises  perpendicularly  from  the  wind- 
ward edge  of  the  proa,  fastened  to  the  heel  of  the 
outrigger;    a  bamboo  yard  is  slung  near  the  mast- 


Proas  of  the  Ladroxes. 

head,  so  that  its  foot  shall  come  into  the  boat  in 
a  diagonal  direction  near  the  head,  there  being  a 
socket  at  each  end  to  receive  the  foot  of  the  yard, 
according  as  the  proa  is  on  either  tack.  The  sail 
attached  is  made  of  matting,  and  is  triangular,  the 
lower  side  being  fastened  to  a  boom  running  hori- 
zontally from  the  foot  of  the  yard  over  the  stern. 
When  it  is  intended  to  alter  the  course  by  going 
upon  another  tack,  the  foot  of  the  yard  is  lifted 
from   the  one  socket,  carried   round  to  leeward,  and 


THE    INDIAN    OCEAN.  333 

placed  in  the  other,  while  the  fast  sheet  being  let 
fly,  and  the  loose  sheet  hauled  in,  the  boat  is 
immediately  trimmed  again,  without  loss  by  lee-way. 
From  their  extraordinary  power  of  lying  near  the 
wind,  that  is,  of  sailing  nearly  towards  the  point 
from  which  the  wind  is  blowing,  as  well  as  from 
their  extreme  narrowness  cutting  the  water  with 
little  resistance,  these  boats  are  the  fleetest  vessels 
known.  Anson  affirms  that  they  will  run  nearly 
twenty  miles  an  hour,  which,  though  greatly  short 
of  what  the  Spaniards  report  of  them,  is  yet  a  pro- 
digious degree  of  swiftness.  In  more  modern  voy- 
ages, we  find  the  native  boats  called  by  the  names 
of  prows  and  prahus;  as  they  seem,  however,  to 
refer  to  vessels  of  the  same  construction  as  those 
described  by  Anson,  they  are  probably  to  be  con- 
sidered as  somewhat  closer  approximations  to  the 
trne  pronunciation  of  the  native  name. 

The  navigation  of  these  seas  is  rendered  pecu- 
liarly unsafe  by  the  swarms  of  Malay  pirates  by 
which  they  are  infested.  Voyagers  continually  allude 
to  the  alarm  which  every  collection  of  native  boats 
inspires,  as  being  so  exceedingly  swift,  and  the 
men  merciless  and  daring.  Whole  colonies  of  these 
desperate  adventurers  proceed  from  Maginclanao  to 
the  coast  of  Borneo,  where  they  seek  some  con- 
venient, but  retired,  harbour,  in  which  they  make 
their  home;  not  living,  however,  upon  the  landt 
but  on  board  their  prahus  (or  proas),  which  are  fre- 
quently of  sixty  tons'  burthen.  During  the  south- 
east monsoon  they  cruise  about  near  the  entrance 
of  the   Straits   of  Malacca,  ready  to    pounce    upon 


334  THE   OCEAN. 

the  native  traders  resorting  to  Singapore ;  when 
about  to  return  home,  they  surprise  some  defence- 
less native  village,  and  carry  off  the  whole  of  the 
inhabitants  to  be  sold  into  slavery.  During  the 
absence  of  the  pirates,  their  wives  and  children 
remain  in  the  harbour,  to  take  charge  of  the  booty 
that  may  be  brought  in ;  and  as  these  are  scarcely 
less  warlike  than  the  men,  no  other  guard  is  neces- 
sary against  the  inoffensive  natives  of  Borneo.  When 
the  band  has  acquired  a  considerable  amount  of 
plunder,  they  return  to  their  own  island,  and  others 
supply  their  place.  Even  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Singapore,  although,  a  British  dependency,  the  Ma- 
lay pirates  absolutely  swarm.  The  numberless  little 
islands  in  the  Straits,  divided  by  channels  known 
only  to  themselves,  are  like  so  many  impregnable 
fastnesses,  into  which  they  drag  their  unfortunate 
victims,  and  plunder  them  at  their  leisure,  defying 
pursuit.  The  occupation  has  acquired  all  the  form 
and  regularity  of  a  system.  A  chief  of  some  petty 
Malay  state,  whose  fortunes  have  been  rendered 
desperate  by  gambling,  collects  around  him  a  few 
adventurous  and  restless  spirits,  and  sails  to  some 
retired  island.  A  village  is  formed,  as  a  depot  for 
the  booty,  and  the  armed  prahus  lie  in  wait  or  prowl 
about.  If  the  adventure  prove  successful,  the  chief 
soon  gains  accessions;  the  village  grows  into  a  town; 
and  the  fleet,  separates  into  squadrons,  which  scour 
the  seas  of  different  localities.  They  usually  sail 
in  company,  the  fleets  consisting  of  three  to  twenty 
prahus,  each  of  which  carries  large  and  small  guns, 
and  from  fifteen  to  forty  men.     The  captured  vessels 


THE   INDIAN   OCEAN.  335 

are  burnt  at  the  depot,  and  the  goods  put  on 
board  prahus  disguised  like  traders,  and  sold  at 
Singapore.  The  eaptives  are  sold  into  slavery  at 
Sumatra,  to  work  on  the  pepper  plantations  of  the 
Malays. 

Though  their  assaults  are  generally  upon  the 
native  trading-boats,  yet  occasionally  they  venture  to 
attack  square-rigged  craft. 

"An  English  merchant,  who  had  resided  several 
years  in  Java,  embarked  at  Batavia  on  board  one 
of  his  own  vessels,  a  large  brig,  taking  with  him 
a  considerable  sum  of  money  for  the  purchase  of 
the  produce  of  the  eastern  districts.  These  facts 
having  reached  the  ears  of  a  famous  piratical  chief, 
he  determined  to  waylay  the  vessel,  and  accordingly 
mustering  a  sufficient  number  of  prahus,  cruised 
about,  and  meeting  with  the  brig  as  he  had  expect- 
ed, commenced  an  attack  upon  her.  The  crew  of 
the  latter  vessel  consisted  of  two  Englishmen,  the 
captain  and  the  chief  officer,  and  about  thirty  Java- 
nese seamen,  who,  together  with  the  owner,  defended 
the  vessel  for  some  time.  Towards  the  evening, 
however,  the  unfortunate  merchant  was  killed  by  a 
spear  fired  from  a  musket,  and  the  pirates  taking 
advantage  of  the  confusion  produced  by  this  event, 
immediately  boarded.  The  two  remaining  English- 
men, being  well  aware  that  certain  death  awaited 
them  should  they  remain,  threw  themselves  into  the 
sea,  and  succeeded  in  reaching  a  bamboo  fishing- 
buoy.  The  pirates,  too  busily  employed  in  plunder- 
ing their  prize  to  think  of  any  thing  else,  did  not 
perceive  their  place  of  refuge,  and  the  vessels  soon 


336  THE    OCEAN. 

drifted  away  out  of  sight.  The  condition  of  the 
persons  who  had  thus  escaped  had  altered  very  little 
for  the  better;  they  were  immersed  to  the  neck  in 
water,  dreading  every  moment  the  attack  of  sharks: 
nor  had  cither,  during  the  whole  of  the  night,  the 
comfort  of  knowing  that  his  companion  was  still  in 
existence.  Soon  after  daylight  some  fishermen  ap- 
peared, by  whom  they  were  perceived ;  but  instead 
of  rescuing  them  immediately  from  their  perilous 
situation,  the  Javanese  consulted  together  for  a  few 
minutes,  and  then  approached  the  sufferers,  and 
demanded  who  they  were.  On  being  told  they  were 
Englishmen,  whose  vessel  had  been  attacked  and 
captured  by  pirates,  they  were  taken  on  board, 
treated  kindly,  and  conveyed  to  the  Dutch  Settlement 
at  Indramayo.  Had  they  belonged  to  one  of  the 
Dutch  cruisers,  their  fate  would  probably  have  been 
different ;  for  the  fishermen  are  on  bad  terms  with 
the  officers  of  the  government  prahus,  whom  they 
accuse  of  robbing  them  of  their  fish."* 

The  pirates  who  thus  infest  the  Indian  Archipe- 
lago are  invariably  Mahometans ;  none  of  the  Pagan 
natives  ever  being  known  to  engage  in  these  mur- 
derous expeditions.  They  show  no  mercy :  the 
Europeans  that  fall  into  their  hands  are  murdered, 
and  the  native  seamen  sold  into  slavery. 

The  larger  islands  of  the  archipelago  do  not  pre- 
sent a  very  interesting  appearance  from  the  sea. 
Though  clothed  from  the  tops  of  the  mountains 
/lowu  to  the  very  water's  edge  with  the  most  lux- 
uriant vegetation,  it  is  too  uniform  to  be  agreeable. 

Earl's  "  Eastern  Seas,"  p.  3S. 


THE    INDIAN    OCEAN.  33-7 

The  eye  seeks  in  vain  for  some  variation,  some  break 
in  the  vast  forest ;  all  is  rich  massy  foliage,  like 
enormous  heaps  of  green  velvet.  The  solemn  silence 
that  prevails,  joined  with  this  gorgeous  uniformity, 
creates  an  oppressive  feeling  of  awe  and  loneliness. 
And  when  the  dews  of  evening  descend,  and  the 
gentle  breeze  blows  off  the  land,  it  comes  loaded 
with  what  have  been  described  as  spicy  odours,  but 
which  are,  in  sober  reality,  but  the  sickly  sweats 
produced  by  immense  masses  of  vegetation  in  decom- 
position. They  bear,  in  fact,  the  pestilence  upon 
their  winsrs. 

But  while  this  is  the  general  character  of  the 
great  islands,  there  are  exceptions.  Java,  settled  by 
the  Dutch,  contrasts  with  Sumatra  and  Borneo ;  the 
gloom  of  the  forest  is  enlivened  here  and  there  by 
verdant  fields  and  lawns,  while  the  white  villas  of 
the  Europeans  chequer  the  hills,  and  give  a  peace- 
ful and  inviting  air  to  the  landscape.  The  smaller 
isles  are  said  to  be  exquisitely  lovely. 

"  The  sea  near  Batavia  is  covered  with  innumer- 
able little  islets,  all  of  which  are  clothed  with  lux- 
uriant vegetation.  Native  prahus,  with  their  yellow 
mat-sails,  are  occasionally  seen  to  shoot  from  behind 
one  of  them,  to  be  shielded  from  view  immediately 
afterwards  by  the  green  foliage  of  another;  and 
over  the  tops  of  the  trees  may  often  be  descried 
the  white  sails  of  some  stately  ship,  threading  the 
mazes  of  this  little  archipelago.  One  group,  appro- 
priately named  the  Thousand  Isles,  has  never  yet 
been  explored,  and  its  intricacies  afford  concealment 

to  petty  pirates  who  prey  upon  the  small  prahus  and 
22  2  F 


338  THE   OCEAN. 

fishing-boats.  *  *  *  A  number  of  large  fishing- 
boats  were  coming  in  from  sea,  and  standing  with 
us  into  the  roads;  and  although  we  were  running 
at  the  rate  of  seven  knots  an  hour,  they  passed  us 
with  great  rapidity.  They  had  a  most  graceful 
appearance;  many  of  them  were  fourteen  or  fifteen 
tons'  burthen,  and  each  boat  carried  one  immense 
square-sail.  As  the  breeze  was  strong,  a  thLk 
plank  was  thrust  out  to  windward  for  an  outrigger, 
on  which  several  of  the  numerous  crew  sat,  or  stood, 
.to  prevent  the  press  of  sail  they  were  carrying  from 
capsizing  the  boat.  They  were  occasionally  hidden 
from  our  view  by  their  passing  behind  some  of  the 
small  islets;  but  in  a  few  seconds  they  would  appear 
on  the  other  side,  having  shot  past  so  rapidly,  that 
we  could  scarcely  fancy  we  had  lost  sight  of  them  at 
all."* 

In  sailing  amongst  the  numberless  islands  of  the 
Indian  Archipelago,  the  voyager  is  struck  with  the 
frequent  appearance  of  towns  or  villages  built 
actually  over  the  sea.  The  houses  are  constructed  on 
stout  piles,  which  are  firmly  driven  into  the  ground. 
A  flat  place  is  selected,  where  the  tide  ebbs  and 
flows,  that  all  dirt  and  filth  from  their  habitations 
may  be  regularly  carried  away  without  trouble,  and 
that  they  may  be  free  from  the  presence  of  unplea- 
sant and  venomous  reptiles.  The  houses  are  chiefly 
of  split  bamboo,  thatched  with  leaves:  the  windows 
are  made  of  the  transparent  inner  shell  of  the  pearl- 
oyster:  they  are  arranged  in  rows  or  streets,  with 
walks  three  or  four  feet  wide  reaching  to  the   land, 

*  Earl's  "  Eastern  Seas,"  p.  11. 


ifei 


THE    INDIAN    OCEAN.  34 1 

but  all  heavy  goods  are  transported  by  canoes,  which 
pass  under  the  houses.  The  mode  of  driving  the 
piles,  which  are  inserted  into  the  bottom  to  the 
depth  of  six  feet,  is  curious  and  ingenious.  A  canoe 
loaded  with  stones  to  the  weight  of  two  or  three 
tons  is  lashed  on  each  side  of  a  pile  at  high  water, 
which,  as  the  tide  falls,  are  suspended  from  it ;  a 
heavy  piece  of  timber  is  then  made  successively 
to  fall  upon  the  head,  which,  conjointly  with  the 
great  weight  of  the  canoes,  sinks  it  into  the  bottom 
rapidly.  Towns  covering  a  square  mile  may  be 
seen  formed  in  this  manner. 

The  harbours  and  straits  are  crowded  during  the 
season  with  Chinese  junks;  which  fail  not  to  strike 
an  eye  accustomed  to  the  elegant  proportions  and 
graceful  tracery  of  an  European  ship,  as  ludicrously 
monstrous.  Mr.  Crawfurd  says,  "  The  appearance 
of  a  Chinese  junk  is  remarkably  grotesque  and  sin- 
gular. The  deck  presents  the  figure  of  a  crescent. 
The  extremities  of  the  vessel  are  disproportionately 
high  and  unwieldy,  conveying  an  idea  that  any 
sudden  gust  of  wind  would  not  fail  to  upset  her.  At 
each  side  of  the  bow  there  is  a  large  white  spot  ov 
circle  to  imitate  eyes.  These  vessels,  except  before 
the  wind,  are  bad  sailers,  and  very  unmanageable. 
They  require  a  numerous  crew  to  navigate  them  : 
of  one  of  the  largest  size,  it  often  takes  fifty  men 
to  manage  the  helm  alone."  The  high  stern  and 
bow  are  alike  fiat,  the  latter  having  nothing  answer- 
ing to  a  cut-water.  There  are  from  two  to  four 
masts,  the  main-mast  being  disproportionately  larger 
than  the  others  ;  each  of  which  carries  a  single  huge 

2f2 


342  THE    OCEAN. 

square-sail  made  of  mats  of  split  bamboo,  extended 
by  horizontal  rods  of  bamboo,  on  which  the  sail 
is  rolled  up  when  reefing  is  necessary.  The  largest, 
though  sometimes  of  twelve  hundred  tons,  have  but 
one  deck,  but  the  immense  hold  is  divided  into  com- 
partments, allotted  to  the  several  adventurers  and 
their  goods.  Mr.  Earl  describes  one  which  he  met 
with  in  Banca  Straits,  in  somewhat  unfavourable 
style.  "  While  wind-bound,"  he  observes,  "  a  Chinese 
junk  passed  close  by  us.  A  considerable  number 
of  the  crew-  were  standing  on  the  high,  thatched 
habitation  erected  on  their  quarter-deck,  and  per- 
ceiving a  Chinese  passenger  whom  we  had  on  board, 
they  all  hailed  together  to  demand  the  state  of  the 
markets ;  but  they  asked  so  many  questions  at  once, 
that  our  friend  became  quite  bewildered,  and  the 
junk  passed  astern  before  he  could  decide  to  which 
he  should  first  reply.  Even  if  he  had  spoken,  the 
junk-people  could  not  have  profited  by  his  efforts, 
fur  they  continued  bawling  until  quite  out  of  hear- 
ing. This  junk,  which  was  about  two  hundred  tons' 
burthen,  carried  two  immense  mat-sails,  with  a  num- 
ber of  small  yards  extending  along  them,  giving 
them  the  appearance  of  b;its'  wings.  She  passed  us 
quickly,  on  account  of  the  current  being  in  her 
favour;  but,  although  the  breeze  was  strong,  she 
went  slowly  through  the  water,  and  might  be  deemed 
little  better  than  an  unwieldy  hulk."* — The  inflated 
ideas  which  the  Chinese  maintain  of  their  own  per- 
fection are  adverse  to  any  improvement  in  these 
singular  structures;    indeed,  an  attempt  at  innova- 

*  Eastern  Seas,  p.  129. 


THE    INDIAN    OCEAN.  343 

tion,  some  years  ago,  in  their  form,  bringing  them 
nearer  to  the  model  of  an  European  ship,  was  so 
severely  reprehended  in  high  quarters,  that  it  was 
found  prudent  to  desist  from  the  indiscreet  improve- 
ment. At  the  same  time,  it  must  be  confessed, 
that  compared  with  the  vessels  of  their  immediate 
neighbours,  the  junk,  as  a  commercial  vessel,  has  i* 
vast  superiority ;  and  in  the  seas  which  they  navi- 
gate, so  regular  are  the  monsoons,  that  they  get  on 
tolerably  well. 

Occasionally,  however,  they  must  encounter  those 
terrific  tempests  called  typhoons,  which  are  peculiar 
to  these  seas,  and  which,  with  the  hurricanes  of  the 
opposite    hemisphere,  are    the    most  furious    storms 


Ship  under  bare  Poles. 


that  blow.     They    rise    with  fearful    rapidity,  often 
coming  on  suddenly  from  a  calm ;    and    before  the 


344  THE    OCEAN. 

canvas  can  be  secured,  the  gale  is  howling  shrilly 
through  the  spars  and  rigging,  and  the  crests  of 
the  waves  are  torn  off,  and  driven  in  sheets  of  spray 
across  the  decks.  The  lightning  is  terrible :  at  very 
short  intervals  the  whole  space  between  heaven  and 
earth  is  filled  with  vivid  flame,  showing  every  rope 
and  spar  in  the  darkest  night  as  distinctly  as  in  the 
broadest  sunshine,  and  then  leaving  the  sight  ob- 
scured in  pitchy  darkness  for  several  seconds  after 
each  flash;  darkness  the  most  intense  and  absolute; 
not  that  of  the  night,  but  the  effect  of  the  blinding 
glare  upon  the  eye.  The  thunder,  too,  peals  now 
in  loud,  sharp,  startling  explosions,  now  in  long  mut- 
tered growls  all  around  the  horizon.  In  the  height 
of  the  gale,  curious  electrical  lights,  called  St.  Ulmo's 
fires,  are  seen  on  the  projecting  points  of  the  masts 
and  upper  spars,  appearing  from  the  deck  like  dim 
stars.  Soon  after  their  appearance  the  gale  abates, 
and  presently  clears  away  with  a  rapidity  equal  to 
that  which  marked  its  approach. 

The  storms  are  found,  by  carefully  comparing 
the  directions  of  the  wind  at  the  same  time  in  dif- 
ferent places,  or  successively  at  the  same  place,  to 
blow  in  a  vast  circle  around  a  centre :  a  fact  of  the 
utmost  importance,  as  an  acquaintance  with  this 
law  will  frequently  enable  the  mariner  so  to  deter- 
mine the  course  of  his  ship,  as  to  steer  out  of  the 
circle,  and  consequently  out  of  the  danger;  when, 
in  ignorance,  he  might  have  sustained  the  whole 
fury  of  the  tempest.  The  course  of  the  circle  is  the 
opposite  of  that  taken  by  the  hands  of  a  watch,  and 
is  the  same  with  that  of  the  still  more  striking  phe- 


THE    INDIAN    OCEAN. 


345 


nomena,  waterspouts.  These  are,  perhaps,  the  most 
majestic  of  all  those  "works  of  the  Lord,  and  his 
wonders  in  the  deep,"  which  they  behold  who  "go 
down  to  the  sea  in  ships."  They  frequently  appear 
as  perpendicular  columns,  apparently  of  many  hun- 
dred feet  in  height,  and  three  feet  or  more  in  dia- 
meter, reaching  from  the  surface  of  the  sea  to  the 
clouds.  The  edge  of  the  pillar  is  perfectly  clean 
and  well-defined,  and  the  effect  has  been  compared 
to  a  column   of  frosted  glass.     A  series   of  spiral 


AVatkrspouts. 


lines  run  around  it,  and  the  whole  has  a  rapid  spiral 
motion,  which  is  very  apparent,  though  it  is  not 
always  easy  to  determine  whether  it  is  an  ascending 
or  descending  line.     Generally,  the  body  of  clouds 


346  THE    OCEAN. 

above  descend  below  the  common  level,  joining  the 
pillar  in  the  form  of  a  funnel,  but  sometimes  the 
summit  is  invisible,  from  its  becoming  gradually 
more  rare.  Much  more  constant  is  the  presence  of 
a  visible  foot ;  the  sea  being  raised  in  a  great  heap, 
with  a  whirling  and  bubbling  motion,  the  upper 
part  of  which  is  lost  in  the  mass  of  spray  and  foam 
which  is  driven  rapidly  round.  The  column,  or 
columns,  for  there  are  frequently  more  than  one, 
move  slowly  forward  with  a  stately  and  majestic 
step,  sometimes  inclining  from  the  perpendicular, 
now  becoming  curved,  and  now  taking  a  twisted 
form.  Sometimes  the  mass  becomes  more  and  more 
transparent,  and  gradually  vanishes;  at  others,  it 
separates,  the  base  subsiding,  and  the  upper  por- 
tion shortening  with  a  whirling  motion,  till  lost  in 
the  clouds.  The  pillar  is  not  always  cylindrical:  a 
very  frequent  form  is  that  of  a  slender  funnel  de- 
pending from  the  sky,  which  sometimes  retains  that 
appearance  without  alteration,  or,  at  others,  lengthens 
its  tube  towards  the  sea,  which  at  the  same  time 
begins  to  boil  and  rise  in  a  hill  to  meet  it,  and  soon 
the  two  unite  and  form  a  slender  column,  as  first 
described. 

When  these  sublime  appearances  are  viewed  from 
a  short  distance,  they  are  attended  with  a  rushing 
noise,  somewhat  like  the  roar  of  a  cataract.  .  The 
phenomenon  is  doubtless  the  effect  of  a  whirlwind, 
or  eurrent  of  air  revolving  with  great  rapidity  and 
violence ;  and  the  lines  which  are  seen,  are  probably 
drops  of  water  ascending  in  the  cloudy  column. 
They  are  esteemed  highly  dangerous  :   instances  have 


THE    INDIAN    OCEAN.  347 

been  known,  in  which  vessels  that  have  been  crossed 
by  them  have  been  instantly  dismasted,  and  left  a 
total  wreck.  It  is  supposed  that  any  sudden  shock 
will  cause  a  rupture  in  the  mass,  and  destroy  it;  and 
hence  it  is  customary  for  ships  to  fire  a  cannon  at 
such  as,  from  their  proximity  of  course,  there  is  any 
reason  to  dread.  They  are  seen  in  all  parts  of  the 
world,  but  are  most  frequent  in  the  Pacific  and 
Indian  Oceans. 

That  a  Chinese  junk,  so  clumsily  rigged  and  so 
unwieldy,  must  be  ill  adapted  to  sustain  the  fury 
of  a  typhoon,  or  to  evade  the  rush  of  a  waterspout, 
we  may  well  imagine,  and  doubtless  many  are 
wrecked  from  these  causes.  The  following  affect- 
ing narrative  of  a  crew  under  such  painful  circum- 
stances will  be  read  with  interest : — 

"  The  dark  sullen  waters  of  the  China  Sea  never 
looked  less  friendly  nor  more  portentous  than  on 
the  morning  of  the  12th  of  January,  1837 ;  tempes- 
tuous weathei,  and  a  sea  rising  in  mountains  around 
and  over  the  ship's  side,  hurled  her  rapidly  on  her 
passage  liomewards,  when  suddenly  a  wreck  was  dis- 
covered to  the  westward.  The  order  to  shorten  sail 
was  as  promptly  obeyed  as  given,  and  the  vessel  was 
hauled  towards  what  was  discovered  to  be  a  China 
junk  without  masts  or  rudder,  having  many  persons 
on  deck  vehemently  imploring  assistance.  The  ex- 
hibition of  their  joy,  as  they  beheld  our  approach, 
was  of  the  most  wild  and  extravagant  nature ;  but 
it  was  doomed  to  be  transient,  the  violence  of  the 
elements  driving  the  ship  swiftly  past  the  wreck.  It 
became  necessary  to  put  her  on  the  other  tack,  a 


348  THE    OCEAN. 

manoeuvre  which  they  construed  into  abandonment, 
and  the  air  rang  with  the  most  agonizing  shrieks 
of  misery  :  hope  appeared  to  have  been  rekindled 
at  the  eleventh  hour,  but  to  render  despair  more 
desperate,  and  death  more  frightful. 

"  The  excitement  on  board  was  intense.  A  boat 
was  immediately  lowered,  in  which  the  hawser  was 
placed,  with  a  small  line  attached  to  it,  as  a  mes- 
senger, and  was  thrown  to  the  wreck  for  the  pur- 
pose of  towing  her  to  the  ship ;  but  this  intention 
was  frustrated  by  the  breaking  of  the  windlass  to 
which  it  was  fastened.  The  anxiety  of  these  un- 
fortunate people  to  quit  their  perilous  position  was 
so  great,  that  it  became  dangerous  to  approach 
them :  one  man,  in  a  paroxysm  of  despair,  jumped 
overboard  after  the  hawser,  as  the  windlass  broke,  in 
the  vain  hope  of  reaching  the  boat;  he  was  an 
expert  swimmer,  but  no  human  power  could  prevail 
against  that  sea;  the  furious  Ocean  mocked  his 
efforts ;  he  rose  and  sunk  upon  the  swelling  billows 
until  nature  was  exhausted  :  he  was  lost  in  sight 
of  his  companions  in  misfortune  and  of  the  persons 
sent  to  their  aid,  without  any  being  able  to  afford 
him  relief. 

"Fears  were  entertained  for  the  boat  and  her 
crew,  as  seen  from  the  ship  contending  with  the 
violence  of  the  element  in  which  she  floated,  and 
a  moment  of  doubt  passed  the  mind  as  to  the  ex- 
pediency of  permitting  another  attempt.  It  was 
onlv  for  a  moment:  the  piercing  cries  borne  upon 
the  hollow  blast,  fell  upon  the  sense  with  such  ter- 
rific horror,  that  indecision  seemed  a  crime;  direc- 


THE    INDIAN    OCEAN.  349 

tions  were  then  issued  to  keep  the  boat  away,  and 
a  rope  with  a  bowline-knot  at  one  end,  was  thrown 
to  the  junk,  into  which  signs  were  made  for  each 
man  to  place  himself,  and  then  plunge  into  the 
water,  whence  he  was  dragged  into  the  boat,  and 
eventually,  in  like  manner,  to  the  ship.  Thus  were 
eighteen  persons  rescued  from  the  very  grasp  of 
death  at  a  moment  when  every  ray  of  hope  ap- 
peared to  be  utterly  extinguished.  Their  gratitude 
was  boundless:  they  almost  worshipped  the  officers, 
the  crew,  and  the  vessel ;  prostrated  themselves, 
kissed  the  feet  of  the  former,  and  the  very  planks 
of  the  latter.     *     *     *     * 

"After  being  on  board  five  days,  we  made  Pulo 
Aor,  where  we  took  in  water,  and  so  desirous  were 
those  simple-hearted  people  of  testifying  their  gra- 
titude, that  they  would  not  permit  the  men  to  carry 
it,  but  filled  the  casks  themselves ;  and  at  parting, 
knelt  down  and  kissed  each  man's  feet  with  the  fer- 
vour of  devotion.  Here  we  separated  from  seven- 
teen men  who  had  been  nine  days  at  sea  upon  a 
miserable  wreck,  waterdogged,  without  water  to 
drink,  and  scarcely  food  to  eat.  One  of  them,  an 
old  man,  died  on  the  preceding  evening  from  the 
effects  of  fatigue  and  exhaustion;  the  others,  I  doubt 
not,  have  long  ere  this  time  reached  their  homes, 
and  taught  their  friends  and  children  to  bless  the 
Englishmen  and  the  English  ship,  which,  under 
Providence,  snatched  them  from  a  watery  grave, 
and  returned  them  to  their  affections."* 

The  principal  object  of  commercial  enterprise  with 

*Unit  Serv.  Journ.  1837,  iii.  512. 
2  d 


350  THE   OCEAN. 

the  Chinese,  in  their  annual  visits  to  the  Oriental 
Isles,  and,  by  consequence,  that  which  forms  the 
chief  lading  of  the  returning  junks,  is  the  edible 
birds'-nest ;  the  production  of  a  species  of  Swallow 
{Flirundo  esculenta);  of  which,  as  it  seems  to  be 
an  oceanic  production,  I  shall  give  a  short  account. 
For  many  ages  the  nests  have  been  in  use  in  China, 
and  it  is  a  remarkable  instance  of  the  fictitious  value 
often  attached  by  fashion  to  things  of  little  moment 
in  themselves,  but  procured  from  a  distance  with 
much  expense,  difficulty,  and  danger.  From  the 
accounts  of  travellers,  which  differ  much  in  detail, 
we  gather,  that  certain  large  caverns  in  the  interior 
of  the  island,  as  well  as  on  the  coast,  are  frequented 
by  immense  numbers  of  these  birds,  of  which  there 
seem  to  be  at  least  two  species,  one  being,  accord- 
ing to  many  observers,  smaller  than  a  wren;  the 
other,  according  to  Sir.  E.  Home,  who  dissected 
some  brought  home  by  Sir  Stamford  Raffles,  u  dou- 
ble the  size  of  our  common  swallow."  M.  Poivre, 
who,  in  1741,  visited  the  Straits  of  Sunda,  observed 
these  birds  in  a  little  island  called  the  Little  Tocque. 
A  party  having  landed  to  shoot  green  pigeons,  this 
gentleman,  accompanied  by  a  sailor,  walked  along 
the  beach  in  search  of  shells  and  jointed  corals, 
which  were  very  abundant.  After  having  walked 
some  distance,  he  was  called  by  his  companion,  who 
had  discovered  a  deep  cavern.  M.  Poivre,  hastening 
to  the  spot,  found  the  entrance  darkened  by  an  im- 
mense cloud  of  small  birds,  pouring  out  in  swarms. 
He  entered,  and  with  ease  knocked  down  many  of 
the  little  birds,  with  which  he  was  at  that  time  un- 


THE   INDIAN   OCEAN.  351 

acquainted.  As  he  proceeded,  he  found  the  roof  of 
the  cave  entirely  covered  with  small  nests,  shaped 
"  like  holy-water  pots."  Each  of  the  nests  con- 
tained two  or  three  eggs  or  young,  which  lay  softly 
on  feathers,  such  as  clothed  the  breast  of  the  parents. 
They  were  found  to  be  glued  firmly  to  the  rock,  but 
having  detached  several,  and  brought  them  on  board, 
they  were  recognized  to  be  the  same  with  those 
which  form  so  valuable  an  article  of  merchandize  in 
China.  The  sailor,  profiting  by  this  information, 
preserved  his  portion,  which  he  afterwards  sold  well 
at  Canton.  The  intelligent  traveller,  on  the  other 
hand,  took  coloured  drawings  of  his  captures,  and 
speculated  concerning  the  nature  of  the  nest.  He 
conjectures,  that  it  is  composed  of  a  gluey  substance 
often  seen  floating  in  those  seas,  which  he  considers 
to  be  fish  spawn. 

More  recent  accounts  agree  generally  with  this. 
In  a  little  island  on  the  coast  of  Java,  called  the  Cap, 
Sir  George  Staunton  found  some  caverns  running 
horizontally  into  the  side  of  the  rock,  in  which  were 
numbers  of  these  birds'-nests.  "They  seemed  to  be 
composed  of  fine  filaments,  cemented  together  by  a 
transparent  viscous  matter,  not  unlike  what  is  left 
by  the  foam  of  the  sea  upon  stones  alternately 
covered  by  the  tide,  or  those  gelatinous  animal  sub- 
stances found  floating  on  every  coast.  The  nests 
adhere  to  each  other,  and  to  the  sides  of  the  cavern, 
mostly  in  rows  without  any  break  or  interruption. 
The  birds  that  build  these  nests  are  small  grey  swal- 
lows, with  bellies  of  a  dirty  white.  They  were  flying 
about  in  considerable  numbers ;   but  they  were  so 


352  THE    OCEAN. 

small,  and  their  flight  so  quick,  that  they  escaped 
the  shots  fired  at  them.  The  same  nests  are  said 
also  to  be  found  in  deep  caverns  at  the  foot  of  the 
highest  mountains  in  the  middle  of  Java,  and  at  a 
distance  from  the  sea.  *  *  *  The  nests  are  placed 
in  horizontal  rows  at  different  depths,  from  fifty 
to  five  hundred  feet.  Their  value  is  chiefly  deter- 
mined by  the  uniform  fineness  and  delicacy  of  their 
texture ;  those  that  are  white  and  transparent  being 
most  esteemed,  and  fetching  often  in  China  their 
weight  in  silver.  These  nests  are  a  considerable 
object  of  traffic  among  the  Javanese ;  and  many  are 
employed  in  it  from  their  infancy.  The  birds,  hav- 
ing spent  near  two  months  in  preparing  their  nests, 
lay  each  two  eggs,  which  are  hatched  in  about  fif- 
teen days.  When  the  young  birds  become  fledged, 
it  is  thought  time  to  -seize  upon  their  nests,  which 
is  done  regularly  thrice  a  year,  and  is  effected  by 
means  of  ladders  of  bamboo  and  reeds,  by  which 
the  people  descend  into  the  cavern:  but  when  it 
is  very  deep,  rope  ladders  are  preferred.  This  ope- 
ration is  attended  with  much  danger,  and  several 
break  their  necks  in  the  attempt."* 

Some  of  the  caves  on  the  coast  of  Java  are  only 
to  be  reached  by  a  perpendicular  descent  of  many 
hundred  feet,  on  these  frail  ladders  of  cane,  while 
the  sea  rages  with  fury  far  beneath  the  feet.  When 
attained,  the  cavern  must  be  explored  by  torchlight, 
the  adventurous  fowler  securing  a  precarious  footing 
over  the  damp  and  slippery  surface  of  the  irregular 
recesses,  where  a  false  step  would  plunge  him  down 

*  Embassy  to  China,  i.  287. 


THE    INDIAN    OCEAN.  353 

tnto  the  boiling  surf,  or  impale  him  upon  the  sharp 
processes  of  the  rocks.  The  best  nests  are  obtained 
from  such  gloomy  caves  as  these ;  for  there  are 
several  qualities,  the  best  being  white,  or  nearly 
transparent,  as  if  composed  of  threads  of  isinglass ; 
others,  which  are  inferior,  are  coarser  in  texture, 
darker  in  colour,  streaked  with  blood,  or  mixed  with 
feathers,  or  defiled  with  the  food  and  ordure  of  the 
young.  When  procured,  they  are  simply  dried  in 
the  shade,  and  packed  in  boxes,  each  containing  a 
picul,  equal  to  about  one  hundred  and  thirty-three 
pounds.  In  the  Chinese  markets  they  fetch  prices 
varying,  according  to  the  quality,  from  2501.  up  to 
above  900?.  sterling  per ptcul;  the  latter  price  being 
at  the  rate  of  nearly  seven  pounds  sterling  per  pound, 
and  consequently  almost  equal  to  double  the  weight 
of  the  article  in  silver!  The  amount  shipped  from 
the  archipelago  is  estimated  by  Mr.  Crawfurd  at 
1818  picuk,  242,4001bs.,  worth  to  the  sellers  at 
the  islands,  284,290Z.  In  defenceless  and  remote 
situations,  exposed  to  lawless  plunder,  the  caverns 
are  of  little  value;  but  in  other  more  favourable 
localities,  the  clear  profit  is  very  great;  for  it  is 
computed  that  the  whole  expense  of  collecting,  dry- 
ing, and  packing,  does  not  much  exceed  one-tenth 
part  of  the  whole  amount. 

The  nests  are  used  in  China,  by  the  luxurious, 
m  thickening  rich  soups;  but  though  considered  by 
them  a  great  delicacy,  have  been  but  little  esteemed 
by  Europeans,  who  have  tasted  the  preparations  at 
Chinese  tables.  The  substance  of  which  they  are 
composed   is   now  generally  agreed  to  be  a  sea- weed 

23  2g2 


354  TIIE   OCEAN. 

which  floats  on  the  Indian  waters,  a  species  of 
Gelidium,  which  can  be  reduced,  by  boiling  or  soak- 
ing in  water,  almost  entirely  into  a  clear  jelly.  It 
is  probable,  however,  that  the  substance  undergoes 
some  preparation  in  the  stomach  of  the  bird  before 
it  is  applied,  or  else  that  the  filaments  are  cemented 
by  a  glutinous  saliva. 

No  inconsiderable  part  of  the  cargoes  of  the 
return  junks  is  made  up  of  a  sea-weed  called  agar- 
agar,  collected  upon  the  coasts  of  Malacca.  Boats 
go  out  to  procure  it  from  the  reefs  on  which  it 
grows,  when  it  is  well  washed  in  the  rivers,  dried, 
and  packed  in  baskets.  It  grows  in  small  bunches, 
with  long  and  narrow  fronds  resembling  shreds,  of 
a  light-yellow  hue.  The  finest  portions  are  used 
in  China  to  make  a  clear,  tasteless  jelly  *,  while  the 
coarser  parts  are  boiled  down  into  a  strong  and  sub- 
stantial glue,  used  in  the  manufacture  of  furniture 
and  lacquered  ware.  A  size  is  also  produced  from 
it,  for  stiffening  paper  and  silk.  In  Canton,  this 
substance  produces  from  twenty  to  thirty -five  shil- 
lings per  hundredweight.  It  is,  however,  light  in 
proportion  to  its  bulk.  It  is  probable  that  this  is 
the  species  described  by  botanists  by  the  name  of 
Grncillaria  tenax,  of  which  27,000  pounds  are  said 
to  be  annually  imported  into  China,  and  of  which 
windows  are  made. 

Another  important  article  of  traffic  with  the  Chi- 
nese, is  the  animal  called  by  them  tifiepang,  the  bivhe 
de  mer  (Iloluthnritt).  There  are  several  species  of 
these  animals,  which  are  curious  creatures.  Gene- 
rally,   they  have   some  resemblance    in   form    to    a 


THE   INDIAN    OCEAN. 


.'555 


cucumber,  whence  they  are  sometimes  termed  Sea- 
cucumbers;  in  the  water,  however,  the  body  is  often 


Sea-cucumbers  (Holothuria). 

greatly  lengthened,  and,  on  being  touched,  is  sud- 
denly contracted  so  as  completely  to  alter  the  form. 
The  mouth  is  at  one  end  of  the  animal,  furnished 
with  shelly  teeth  converging  to  a  centre,  as  in  the 
Star-fishes,  and  surrounded  by  numerous  tentacles. 
Mr.  Crawfurd  describes  it  as  "  an  unseemly-look- 
ing  substance,  of  a  dirty-brown  colour,  hard,  rigid, 
scarcely  possessing  any  power  of  locomotion,  nor 
appearance  of  animation."  The  usual  length  is 
eight  or  nine  inches,  the  diameter  about  an  inch, 
but  some  are  two  feet  in  length,  and  seven  or  eight 
inches  in  girth.  They  frequent  the  shallow  waters, 
on  reefs  and  in  lagoons ;  often  exposed  on  the  rock, 
but  sometimes  nearly  buried  in  the  coral-sand,  their 
feathered  tentacles  alone  appearing  and  floating 
loosely  in    the  water.     The    large    kinds  are   often 


356  THE    OCEAN. 

obtained  by  spearing  them  upon  the  rocks  in  shallow 
water ;  but  the  ordinary  mode  of  obtaining  them  is 
by  diving  in  from  three  to  five  fathoms,  and  collect- 
ing them  by  hand.  A  man  will  bring  up  thus  eight 
or  ten  at  a  time.  They  are  prepared  for  the  mar- 
ket by  being  split  down  one  side,  boiled,  and  pressed 
flat  with  stones  :  then,  being  stretched  on  bamboo 
slips,  they  are  dried  in  the  sun,  and  afterwards  in 
smoke,  and  packed  away  in  bags.  In  this  state  it 
is  put  on  board  the  junks,  and  is  in  great  demand 
in  China  for  the  composition  of  nutritious  soups, 
in  which  that  singular  people  so  much  delight.  The 
quantity  of  this  article  of  food,  annually  sent  to 
China  from  Macassar,  amounts  to  8333  hundred- 
weight ;  the  price  of  which  varies,  according  to  the 
quality,  (for  there  are  upwards  of  thirty  varieties 
distinguished  in  the  market,)  from  thirty  shillings 
sterling  to  upwards  of  twenty  guineas  per  hnndred- 
weight.  The  extent  of  the  traffic  may  be  inferred 
from  the  number  of  vessels  employed  in  it:  Captain 
Flinders  was  informed,  when  near  the  north  coast 
of  New  Holland,  that  a  fleet  of  sixty  proas,  carrying 
a  thousand  men,  had  left  Macassar  for  that  coast 
two  months  before,  in  search  of  this  sea-slug;  and 
Captain  King  was  informed  that  two  hundred  proas 
annually  leave  Macassar  for  this  fishery.  They  sail 
in  January,  coasting  from  island  to  island,  till  they 
reach  Timor,  and  thence  steer  for  New  Holland, 
when  they  scatter  themselves  in  small  fleets,  and 
having  fished  along  the  coast,  return  about  the  end 
of  May,  when  the  westerly  monsoon  breaks  up. 
The    periodical    change    of   the   direction  of   the 


THE   INDIAN   OCEAN.  357 

•wind  in  the  northern  part  of  the  Indian  Ocean,  by 
which  the  north-east  trade-wind  is  exchanged  for 
one  directly  opposite,  commonly  called  the  setting  in 
of  the  south-west  monsoon,  is  attended  with  very 
remarkable  effects  on  the  weather.  It  is  the  com- 
mencement of  the  rainy  season,  which  is  ushered 
in  by  storms  of  thunder,  lightning,  and  rain,  of  such 
violence,  as  those  acquainted  only  with  a  temperate 
climate  have  no  conception  of.  Mr.  Elphinstone  thus 
describes  the  scene  on  the  coast  of  India:  "The  ap- 
proach of  the  monsoon  is  announced  by  vast  masses 
of  clouds  that  rise  from  the  Indian  Ocean,  and 
advance  towards  the  north-east,  gathering  and  thick- 
ening as  they  approach  the  land.  After  some  threat- 
ening days,  the  sky  assumes  a  troubled  appearance 
in  the  evenings,  and  the  monsoon  in  general  sets  in 
during  the  night.  It  is  attended  by  such  a  thunder- 
storm as  can  hardly  be  imagined  by  those  who  have 
only  seen  that  phenomenon  in  a  temperate  climate. 
It  generally  begins  with  violent  blasts  of  wind,  which 
are  succeeded  by  floods  of  rain.  For  some  hours 
lightning  is  seen  almost  without  intermission  ;  some- 
times it  only  illumines  the  sky,  and  shows  the  clouds 
near  the  horizon ;  at  other  times  it  discovers  the  dis- 
tarit  hills,  and  again  leaves  all  in  darkness:  when 
in  an  instant,  it  reappears  in  vivid  and  successive 
flashes,  and  exhibits  the  nearest  objects  in  the  bright- 
ness of  day.  During  all  this  time  the  distant  thun- 
der never  ceases  to  roll,  and  is  only  silenced  by  some 
nearer  peal,  which  bursts  on  the  ear  with  such  a 
sudden  and  tremendous  crash  as  can  scarcely  fail  to 
strike  the  most  insensible  heart  with  awe.    At  lenarth 


358  THE  OCEAN. 

the  thunder  ceases,  and  nothing  is  heard  but  the 
continued  pouring  of  the  rain,  and  the  rushing  of 
rising  streams.  The  next  day  presents  a  gloomy 
spectacle :  the  rain  still  descends  in  torrents,  and 
scarcely  allows  a  view  of  the  blackened  fields ;  the 
rivers  are  swollen  and  discoloured,  and  sweep  down 
along  with  them  the  hedges,  the  huts,  and  the  re- 
mains of  the  cultivation  which  was  carried  on  during 
the  dry  season  in  their  beds."* 

The  effect  upon  the  sea  is  graphically  depicted  by 
Mr.  Forbes :  "At  Anjengo,"  observes  this  author, 
"  the  monsoon  commences  with  great  severity,  and 
presents  an  awful  spectacle :  the  inclement  weather 
continues  with  more  or  less  violence,  from  May 
to  October.  During  that  period  the  tempestuous 
Ocean  rolls  from  a  black  horizon,  literally  of  '  dark- 
ness visible,'  a  series  of  floating  mountains  heaving 
under  hoary  summits,  until  they  approach  the  shore; 
when  their  stupendous  accumulations  flow  in  suc- 
cessive surges,  and  break  upon  the  beach;  every 
ninth  wave  is  observed  to  be  generally  more  tre- 
mendous than  the  rest,  and  threatens  to  overwhelm 
the  settlement.  The  noise  of  these  billows  equals 
that  of  the  loudest  cannon,  and  with  the  thunder 
and  lightning  so  frequent  in  the  rainy  season,  is 
truly  awful.  During  the  tedious  monsoon  I  passed 
at  Anjengo,  I  often  stood  upon  the  trembling  sand- 
bank to  contemplate  the  solemn  scene,  and  derive 
a  comfort  from  that  sublime  and  omnipotent  decree, 
'Hitherto  shalt  thou  come,  but  no  further;  and, 
here  shall  thy  proud  waves  be  stayed  !'  "f 

*  Account  of  Caubul,  p.  126.  "("  Oriental  Memoirs. 


THE   INDIAN   oCEAN.  359 

An  effect,  scarcely  less  sublimely  magnificent,  is 
produced  by  the  coming  in  of  the  periodical  spring- 
tide at  the  mouth  of  some  of  the  large  rivers  of 
India,  which  is  called  the  Bore.  The  rising  flood, 
confined  by  the  narrowing  coasts  of  a  deep  estuary, 
takes  the  form  of  an  immense  wave,  which  comes 
majestically  rolling  along,  like  an  advancing  cataract, 
bearing  every  thing  before  it.  So  rapid  is  its  march, 
that  its  progress  from  Hooghly  Point  to  Hooghly 
Town,  a  distance  of  seventy  miles,  occupies  but  four 
hours.  At  Calcutta  the  wave  is  five  feet  high  ;  but 
in  the  channels  formed  by  the  numerous  islands  in 
the  Burhampooter,  its  height  is  twelve  feet ;  and  so 
terrific  is  it,  that  no  boat  dares  to  navigate  the  river 
at  the  time  of  spring-tide.  As  the  middle'  of  the 
river,  however,  is  comparatively  free  from  the  in- 
fluence, and  only  one  side,  usually,  is  subject  to  its 
greatest  violence,  the  boats  and  larger  craft  hasten, 
on  its  approach,  into  the  open  water  of  the  current ; 
but  if  unhappily  overtaken,  they  are  inevitably  over- 
turned or  swamped,  while  even  large  ships,  that 
present  their  broadsides  to  its  advance,  are  rolled 
so  violently,  that  their  yard-arms  are  dipped  in  the 
wave. 

The  multitudes  of  fishes  of  brilliant  hues  and  fan- 
tastic shapes,  that  play  in  the  tepid  waters  of  these 
regions  of  the  sun,  are  incalculable.  Numerous 
bands  of  Parrot-fishes  (Scarus)  and  Kock-wrasses 
(Labras)  sport  about  the  reefs,  whose  bodies  are 
ornamented  with  crimson,  yellow,  and  silvery  tints, 
often  arranged  in  the  form  of  bands  or  stripes ;  Gur- 
nards (Triglot),   whose  large  fins  resemble  in  their 


360  THE   OCEAN. 

form  and  delicate  pencillings  the  wings  of  a  butter- 
fly, take  momentary  flights  above  the  surface;  and 
the  petty  tribe  of  Chcetodons,  several  of  which  are 
noted  for  the  singular  habit  of  shooting  flies  with 
a  drop  of  water  projected  from  their  beak-like 
mouths,  fearlessly  approach  the  hand  immersed  in 
the  water.  But  none  of  these  are  more  curious  than 
the  Toad-fishes,  or  Anglers  (Antennarius),  whose 
pectoral  and  ventral  fins  have  much  of  the  form  and 
also  the  functions  of  the  feet  of  a  quadruped,  en- 
abling them  to  crawl  out  of  the  water,  and  travel 
over  the  land.  The  head  is  armed  with  horn-like 
projections,  terminating  in  shining  filaments,  which 
play  freely  in  the  water,  and  attract  small  fishes 
within  the  reach  of  its  enormous  mouth ;  a  very 
remarkable  instance  of  the  superintending  care  exer- 
cised by  the  beneficent  Creator  over  the  well-being  of 
his  creatures.  The  form  of  the  fish  is  clumsy,  and 
its  motions  slow  and  heavy,  and  without  this  provi- 
sion for  the  attraction  of  its  prey,  it  would  probably 
fare  but  poorly. 

It  is  doubtless  a  species  of  Antennarius  that  is 
thus  described  by  Mr.  Earl,  as  observed  on  the  coast 
of  Borneo :  "  Large  tracts  of  mud  had  been  left 
uncovered  by  the  receding  tide,  and  flocks  of  gulls 
and  other  birds  were  feeding  on  the  worms  and  small 
fish.  Vast  numbers  of  little  amphibious  creatures 
were  running  about  in  the  mud,  and  they  appeared 
to  be  sought  after  by  some  of  the  larger  birds. 
They  were  from  two  to  eight  inches  long,  resem- 
bling a  fish  in  shape,  of  a  light-brown  colour,  and 
could  run  and  jump  by  means  of  two  strong  pectoral 


THE   INDIAN   OCEAN.  361 

fins.  On  the  approach  of  an  enemy,  they  buried 
themselves  in  the  mud  with  inconceivable  rapidity, 
so  that  their  sudden  disappearance  seemed  to  be  the 
work  of  magic.  One  of  the  Malays  was  employed 
in  catching  them,  as  they  are  considered  to  be  a 
great  delicacy.  He  used  for  the  purpose  a  thin 
plank,  four  feet  long,  and  one  foot  broad ;  on  one 
end  of  which  were  fixed  several  sharp-pointed  nails, 
the  points  projecting  beyond  the  end  of  the  plank. 
lie  placed  the  plank  flat  upon  the  mud,  and  with  the 
right  knee  resting  on  it,  and  kicking  the  mud 
with  the  left  foot,  he  shot  along  the  surface  with 
great  rapidity,  the  sharp-pointed  nails  transfixing 
the  little  creatures  before  they  could  succeed  in 
burying  themselves  sufficiently  deep  to  avoid  it. 
This  is  a  dangerous  sport,  and  requires  great  skill 
in  the  fishermen  to  prevent  accidents ;  for  should 
he  lose  his  plank,  death  would  be  almost  inevit- 
able, the  mud  not  having  sufficient  consistence  to 
support  him  without  the  aid  of  this  simple  contriv- 
ance."* 

Numberless  creatures  of  the  inferior  classes,  some 
of  which  are  of  exquisite  delicacy  and  beauty,  float 
on  the  surface  of  the  Indian  Ocean ;  often  in  such 
immense  hosts  as  to  cover  the  sea  for  miles  around. 
The  Violet-snail  (Janthina  fragilis)  is  one  of  these, 
whose  shell  much  resembles  that  of  our  garden- snail 
in  form  and  size,  but  is  of  a  pearly-white  above, 
and  beneath  violet.  AVhen  alive  it  is  covered  with 
a  slippery  membrane.  A  singular  floating  appa- 
ratus projects  horizontally  from  the  aperture  of  the 

*  Eastern  Seas,  p.  213. 
2H 


302  THE    OCEAN. 

shell,  resembling  a  collection  of  air-bubbles,  but 
composed  of  a  delicate  white  membrane,  inflated, 
and  puckered  on  the  surface  into  the  bubble-like 
divisions  alluded  to;  it  is  oblong,  about  an  inch  in 
length.  The  buoyancy  of  this  float  supports  the 
animal  at  the  surface,  where  it  lies  with  the  con- 
vexity of  the  shell  downward.  Three  or  four  drops 
of  a  blue  liquid  are  contained  in  the  body,  which 
has  been  supposed  to  answer  the  purpose  of  con- 
cealment in  time  of  danger,  by  imparting  an  obscu- 
rity to  the  water ;  but  it  is  hardly  sufficient  for  this 
purpose,  as  the  whole  quantity  secreted  by  one 
animal  will  not  discolour  half  a  pint  of  water.  Be- 
neath the  float,  at  certain  seasons,  the  eggs  are  sus- 
pended by  pearly  threads ;  and  as  the  floats  are  fre- 
quently found  in  great  numbers  with  eggs  thus 
attached,  but  separate  from  the  original  animals, 
it  is  thought  that  they  have  the  power  of  throwing 
off  this  appendage  and  forming  a  new  one;  in  which 
case  it  serves  the  purpose  of  sustaining  the  eggs,  and 
probably  the  young,  within  the  reach  of  the  light 
and  heat  of  the  sun. 

The  Portuguese  Man-of-war  {Physalis  pelagica), 
numerous  in  the  warm  parts  of  the  Atlantic,  is  still 
more  abundant  in  the  seas  of  which  I  am  writing. 
It  is  a  beautiful  little  creature,  though  of  very 
simple  structure,  consisting  merely  of  a  semi-trans- 
parent membranous  bag,  round  at  one  end,  and 
pointed  at  the  other,  along  one  side  of  which  runs  a 
wide  membrane,  puckered  into  perpendicular  folds, 
and  capable  of  being  contracted  and  dilated ;  while 
from  the  opposite  side  depends  a  thick  fringe  of  blue 


THE   INDIAN   OCEAN.  3(53 

tentacles,  among  which  arc  some  of  a  great  length, 
and  of  a  crimson  and  purple  hue.  The  tentacles 
have  the  faculty  of  severely  stinging  the  hand  that 
touches  them,  though  ever  so  slightly;  and  it  is 
probable  that  this  power  is  in  some  way  connected 
with  the  sustenance  of  the  animal,  as  minute  fishes 
are  frequently  found  in  a  benumbed  state  attached 
to  these  processes.  The  little  creature,  .as  it  floats 
upon  the  broad  billows,  bears  a  very  striking  resem- 
blance to  a  little  ship,  of  which  the  bladder  is  the 
hull,  and  the  puckered  membrane  the  sail;  and  as 
the  edge  of  the  sail  is  a  beautiful  pink  hue,  and  the 
lower  part  of  the  hull  deep  blue,  a  fleet  of  them, 
floating  and  rolling  in  a  calm  upon  the  long  glassy 
swell  of  the  sea,  presents  a  scene  of  striking  novelty 
and  elegance. 

Another  creature  much  resembling  this  in  appear- 
ance is  found  in  the  same  regions  in  equal  numbers. 
It  is  called  by  sailors  the  Sallee-man  (Velella  mutico)] 
and  consists  of  an  internal  cartilage,  of  a  semi-pel- 
lucid white  hue,  enclosed  in  soft  parts,  of  a  purplish 
green.  A  broad  oval  base  floats  on  the  water,  across 
which  runs  obliquely  an  arched  crest  or  sail :  be- 
neath are  placed  the  brown  viscera,  covered  with 
a  thick  mat  of  colourless  tubular  papilhe, :  the  edge 
of  the  oval  base  is  fringed  with  slender  blue  tentacles. 
No  part  of  this  animal  seems  to  have  the  power  of 
stinging,  so  formidable  in  the  preceding. 

It  will  be  remembered,  that  in  the  description 
of  the  Arctic  Seas,  a  little  animal  (Clio  borealis)  was 
mentioned  as  forming  a  large  portion  of  the  food 
of  the  whale.     Its  place  is  supplied  in  the  Pacific 


364  THE   OCEAN. 

and  Indian  Oceans  by  two  or  three  species  nearly 
allied  to  it  in  structure,  but  furnished  with  a  glassy 
shell.      One    of   these    is    named    Ilyalea    tridentata; 


Glass  Shells.     (Hyalea  tridentata,  and  Cleodora pyramidata.) 

its  shell  is  small  and  somewhat  globular,  resembling 
a  bivalve  without  a  hinge;  the  hinder  part  being 
consolidated  and  armed  with  three  spines ;  the  sides 
have  a  narrow  fissure  through  which  a  semi-trans- 
parent membrane  protrudes.  The  animal  is  fur- 
nished with  a  wing  or  fin  on  each  side,  which  it  uses 
as  oars.  A  kindred  species  {Cleodora  cusjndala)  is 
of  extreme  delicacy  and  beauty.  The  shell  is  glassy 
and  colourless,  very  fragile,  nearly  in  the  form  of 
a  triangular  pyramid,  with  an  aperture  at  its  base, 
from  which  proceeds  a  long  and  slender  glassy  spine  ; 
and  a  similar  spine  projects  from  each  side  of  the 
middle  of  the  shell.  The  animal  is  like  the  preced- 
ing; but  the  hinder  part  is  globular  and  pellucid, 
and  in  the  dark  vividly  luminous,  presenting  a  sin- 
gularly-striking appearance,  as  it  shines  through  its 
perfectly-transparent  lantern.  Both  of  these  are 
found  floating  in  great  numbers  on  the  surface  of 
the  sea. 


THE    INDIAN    OCEAN.  3^5 

Among  the  sea-shells  wliicli  attain  a  large  size  in 
these  seas,  the  Giant  Clamp  (Tridacne  gigas)  stands 
pre-eminent.  It  is  found  in  abundance  on  the  coasts 
of  Sumatra,  as  well  as  of  other  islands,  attached 
to  the  rocks  by  a  strong  cable.  This,  which  is  called 
byssus,  is  formed  of  many  tough  threads,  but  slightly 
elastic,  spun  by  the  animal,  or  rather,  cast  in  a 
mould  thread  by  thread ;  a  glutinous  fluid  being 
secreted  in  a  long  groove  or  canal  formed  by  the 
foot,  which  in  the  air  rapidly  acquires  solidity. 
When  complete,  the  united  threads  form,  as  ob- 
served above,  a  cable,  projecting  through  an  open- 
ing in  the  back  of  the  shell,  and  adhering  by  the 
other  extremity  to  the  rock,  so  firmly  as  to  resist 
the  agitation  of  the  sea,  and  so  tough  as  to  be  severed 
only  by  an  axe.  Marsden  mentions  one  which  was 
more  than  three  feet  three  inches  long  and  two 
feet  one  inch  wide :  and  specimens  have  been  seen 
which  had  attained  the  enormous  length  of  four 
feet.  They  are  sometimes  taken,  when  not  adhering, 
by  thrusting  a  long  bamboo  between  the  open 
valves,  which  immediately  close  firmly,  and  they  are 
dragged  out.  The  substance  of  the  shell  is  perfectly 
white,  several  inches  thick;  and  is  worked  by  the 
natives  into  arm-rings,  and  by  European  artists  is 
made  to  receive  a  polish  equal  to  the  finest  statuary 
marble. 

Pearls,  whose  exquisite  beauty  have  made  them 
celebrated  from  the  earliest  asres,  are  well  known  to 
be  marine  productions ;  and  as  the  shores  of  the 
Indian  Ocean  yield  the  finest  specimens,  I  may  here 
say  a  word  of  the  fishery  for  them.     Many  bivalve 

2h2 


306  TIIE   OCEAN. 

shells  produce  pearls  of  greater  or  less  perfection ; 
but  what  is  known  as  the  Pearl  Oyster  is  the  Avicula 
margaritifera  of  conchologists.  The  interior  surface 
of  the  shell  is  covered  with  very  thin  plates,  or 
lomellce,  whicli  are  furrowed  with,  microseopically 
minute  and  close  parallel  grooves,  and  in  this  struc- 
ture lies  the  property  of  reflecting  opaline  tints ; 
a  property  which  has  been  communicated  to  other 
substances  by  mechanically  impressing  the  surface 
with  similar  grooves.  In  some  diseased  states  of 
the  animal,  or  when  the  shell  has  received  a  trifling 
injury,  or  some  foreign  body — a  grain  of  sand,  for 
example — has  found  its  way  within  the  mantle,  the 
pearly  secretion  is  poured  out  in  great  abundance 
around  the  part,  and,  layer  being  imposed  upon 
layer,  produces  a  pearl,  either  attached  to  the  inner 
surface  of  the  shell,  or  loose  and  held  merely  in  the 
folds  of  the  mantle. 

The  most  productive  fishery  is  in  the  Persian 
Gulf,  and  the  finest  pearls  are  found  there:  above 
1)0,000?.  sterling  are  sometimes  realized  from  this 
source  in  the  course  of  two  months.  Those  with 
which  we  are  most  acquainted,  are  carried  on  on 
the  coasts  of  Coromandcl  and  of  Ceylon ;  the  former 
being  in  the  hands  of  the  East  India  Company,  the 
latter  in  those  of  the  British  Government.  The 
Ceylon  fishery  has  been  well  described  by  Captain 
Percival,  the  Count  de  Noe,  and  lately  by  Mr.  Ben- 
nett. As  the  banks  would  soon  be  exhausted  if 
fished  every  year,  portions  only  are  selected  in  turn, 
while  the  rest  remains  untouched  to  be  recruited. 
In  the    month   of   November,  the    Government  ap- 


THE   INDIAN   OCEAN.  3(57 

points  an  inspection  of  the  state  of  the  banks,  and 
those  selected  as  fit  for  fishing  are  advertised  ac- 
cordingly, the  fishery  for  the  ensuing  season  being 
offered  for  sale.  In  January,  the  boats  begin  to 
assemble,  and  the  adventurers  from  all  parts  of 
India  congregate  on  a  narrow  spot  of  barren  sand 
which  is  deserted  for  the  greatest  portion  of  the 
year,  but  now  presents  the  life  and  gaiety  of  a  fair. 
"There  is,  perhaps,  no  spectacle,"  says  Captain 
Percival,  "  which  the  Island  of  Ceylon  affords,  more 
striking  to  an  European  than  the  bay  of  Condatchy 
during  the  season  of  the  pearl-fishery.  This  desert 
and  barren  spot  is  at  that  time  converted  into  a 
scene  which  exceeds  in  -novelty  and  variety  almost 
any  thing  I  ever  witnessed ;  several  thousands  of 
people  of  different  colours,  countries,  castes,  and 
occupations,  continually  passing  and  repassing  in  a 
busy  crowd ;  the  vast  numbers  of  small  tents  and 
huts  erected  on  the  shore,  with  the  bazaar  or  mar- 
ket-place before  each ;  the  multitude  of  boats  re- 
turning in  the  afternoon  from  the  pearl  banks,  some 
of  them  laden  with  riches ;  the  anxious  expecting 
countenances  of  the  boat-owners,  while  the  boats 
are  approaching  the  shore,  and  the  eagerness  and 
avidity  with  which  they  run  to  them  when  arrived, 
in  hopes  of  a  rich  cargo ;  the  vast  numbers  of  jewel- 
lers, brokers,  merchants,  of  all  colours,  and  all  de- 
scriptions, both  natives  and  foreigners,  who  are 
occupied  in  some  way  or  other  with  the  pearls,  some 
separating  and  assorting  them,  others  weighing  and 
ascertaining  their  number  and  value,  while  others 
are  hawking  them  about,  or  drilling  and  boring  them 
for  future  use ; — all  these  circumstances  tend  to  im- 


368  THE    OCEAN. 

press  the  mind  with  the  value  and  importance  of  that 
object  which  can  of  itself  create  this  scene."* 

The  actual  fishery  begins  in  February  and  con- 
tinues during  six  weeks,  or  at  most  two  months. 
The  boats,  being  prepared,  each  carrying  twei  ^e  or 
fourteen  hands  and  ten  divers,  leave  the  shore  at 
the  signal-gun  of  the  government  officer,  and  arrive 
at  the  bank  before  daylight.  At  sunrise  diving  com- 
mences, and  the  divers,  divided  into  two  parties, 
descend  alternately,  the  one  set  breathing  while  the 
other  is  below.  To  expedite  his  descent,  each  man 
has  a  conical  piece  of  granite,  through  a  hole  in 
which  a  rope  is  passed;  he  grasps  the  rope  with 
the  toes  of  his  right  foot,  which  he  uses  with  nearly 
the  same  pliancy  as  the  fingers  of  his  hands,  and 
taking  in  his  left  a  net  like  an  angler's  landing-net, 
seizes  another  rope  in  his  right  hand,  and  closes  his 
nostrils  with  his  left  thumb  and  finger.  The  weight 
of  the  stone  causes  him  to  descend  rapidly,  and  he 
loses  no  time,  but  hastily  fills  his  net  with  the  oys- 
ters he  finds  around.  When  he  can  retain  his  breath 
no  longer,  he  jerks  the  second  rope,  and  is  instantly 
hauled  to  the  surface  by  his  fellows,  leaving  the 
stone  to  be  pulled  up  afterwards.  Generally,  from 
a  minute  and  a  half  to  two  minutes,  is  as  long  as 
a  diver  can  remain  under  water;  but  Captain  Per- 
cival  records  a  case  in  which  a  man  "  absolutely  re- 
mained under  water  full  six  minutes."  The  effects 
of  so  long  a  submersion  as  even  ordinarily  takes 
place,  are  severe,  and  manifest  themselves  by  gush- 
inga  of  water  from  the  ears,  mouth,  and  nose,  and 
sometimes    by  discharges    of   blood.     Yet    they  are 

*  Percival's  Ceylon,  p.  59. 


THE    INDIAN    OCEAN.  369 

ready  to  take  their  turn  again,  frequently  making 
forty  or  fifty  plunges  a  day,  and  bringing  up  at  each 
turn  about  a  hundred  oysters. 

The  greatest  danger  to  these  adventurous  men 
arises  from  the  sharks,  to  whose  rapacity  allusion 
has  before  been  made.  But  against  them  the  poor 
people  believe  that  they  possess  an  inviolable  de- 
fence in  the  charms  sold  to  them  by  pretended  con- 
jurors, whose  impudence  and  address  secure  their 
hold  on  their  deluded  votaries,  even  in  spite  of  the 
frequent  evidence  of  their  fallibility.  It  is  probable, 
the  constant  bustle  and  noise,  and  the  frequent 
splashings  of  the  divers,  deter  the  sharks  in  a  great 
measure  from  approaching  the  scene. 

"  As  soon  as  the  oysters  are  landed,  they  are  placed 
in  pits  on  the  shore,  and  left  to  undergo  decomposi- 
tion; in  which  state  they  diffuse  an  intolerable  odour, 
but  to  which  habit  speedily  reconciles  the  people. 
When  the  flesh  is  decayed  under  that  burning  sun, 
the  shells  are  opened  with  ease,  and  minutely  ex- 
amined for  pearls :  some,  however,  elude  the  utmost 
vigilance,  to  obtain  which,  numbers  of  people  continue 
to  search  the  sands  for  months  after  the  merchants 
have  departed,  and  they  are  now  and  then  rewarded 
by  a  pearl  of  value.  In  1797,  a  common  fellow,  of 
the  lowest  class,  thus  got  by  accident  the  most 
valuable  pearl  seen  that  season,  and  sold  it  for  a 
large  sum." 

In  the    Straits  of  Sunda   and  the    adjacent  seas, 

there  are   found    several    floating    sea-weeds,  which 

have  a  general  resemblance  to  the  Gulf-weed  of  the- 

Atlantic,  but  possess  a  much  more  striking  similarity 

21 


370  THE   OCEAN. 

to  terrestrial  plants.  Two  species  in  particular, 
named  from  this  resemblance  Sargassum  aqw'foliiim 
and  S.  ilicifolinm,  so  closely  imitate  our  common 
holly  in  their  branches,  berries,  and  twisted  spinous 
leaves,  as  to  induce  a  belief,  at  the  first  glance,  that 
they  are  no  other  than  sprigs  of  that  familiar  plant. 
Another  species,  found  in  the  same  locality,  is  called 
S.  Taxifolium,  from  its  likeness  to  the  yew.  The 
former  are  highly  interesting  on  another  account: 
they  afford  a  remarkable  illustration  of  the  fact, 
that  the  seed -receptacles  of  some  sea-plants  are 
metamorphosed  after  the  discharge  of  their  seeds  into 
leaves  and  air-vessels.  Few  would  suspect  that  the 
round  air-cells,  that  look  like  green  berries,  or  the 
curled  and  thorny  leaves,  were  alike  the  slender  pro- 
cesses containing  the  seed,  only  in  another  stage  of 
development;  yet  specimens  are  often  found  in 
which  the  process  is  actually  going  on,  both  the  one 
and  the  other  being  but  partially  transformed.  The 
pores  with  which  the  surface  of  the  leaves  are  stud- 
ded, are  but  the  orifices  through  which  the  seeds* 
escaped. 

As  we  approach  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  the  sea« 
birds  peculiar  to  high  latitudes  again  appear,  and 
the  sea  and  air  are  enlivened  by  myriads  of  gulls, 
terns,  petrels,  frigate-birds,  and  albatrosses.  But 
among  them  we  have  yet  to  notice  one  pre-eminent 
among  them,  a  master-fisher,  which,  for  its  powers 
of  consuming  the  finny  prey,  is  perhaps  unrivalled. 
It  is  the  Pelican  (Pelicanus  onocrotalus),  which 
abounds  all  around  the  shores  of  the  Indian  Ocean, 
ranging  to  the    distance  of  several    hundred   miles 


THE   INDT\N   OCEAN.  3^1 

from  the  coasts.  This  bird  has  great  powers  of 
flight,  the  extended  wings  covering  a  space  of  twelve 
feet.  The  throat  is  dilated  into  a  capacious  bag, 
which  can  be  wrinkled  up  when  not  in  vise,  but 
when  the  animal  is  fishing  forms  a  convenient  pouch, 
in  which  the  prey  is  stored  as  it  is  caught,  until  it 
is  filled,  when  the  booty  is  borne  to  shore,  to  feed 
the  callow  young,  or  to  be  eaten  at  leisure.  The 
pouch  of  a  full-grown  Pelican,  when  distended,  will 
contain  ten  quarts  of  water.  They  fly  to  a  long 
distance,  and  at  a  lofty  elevation,  and  remain  un- 
tired  on  the  wing  for  a  protracted  period.  A  flock 
of  Pelicans  beating  for  prey  is  a  splendid  spectacle. 
Sometimes  the  whole  troop  soars  upwards  to  an  im- 
mense height,  and  then  suddenly  swoops  down  with 
arrowy  velocity,  splashing  the  sea  in  every  direc- 
tion ;  presently  they  emerge,  and  again  soar  on  high, 
till  again  they  simultaneously  dash  down  upon  the 
shoals ;  and  thus  the  flock  perform  their  evolutions 
in  concert,  ranging  over  a  wide  bay,  or  a  given  space 
of  water,  with  perfect  order  and  regularity,  and  with 
astonishing  rapidity.  At  other  times  they  fly  al- 
most at  the  very  surface,  beating  the  water  with 
their  wings,  till  the  whole  sea  is  one  undistinguish- 
able  mass  of  foam. 

In  the  beautiful  poem  of  Montgomery,  "The  Peli- 
can Island,"  which  I  have  before  quoted,  the  manners 
of  these  interesting  birds  are  ably  described  : — 

"  Eager  for  food,  their  senrching  eyes  they  fix'd 
On  ocean's  unroll'd  volume,  from  a  height 
That  brought  immensity  within  their  scope; 
Yet  with  such  power  of  vision  look'd  they  down, 


372  THE  OCEAN. 

As  though  they  watch'd  the  shell-fish  slowly  gliding 

O'er  sunken  rocks,  or  climbing  trees  of  coral. 

On  indefatigable  wing  upheld, 

Breath,  pulse,  existence,  seem'd  suspended  in  them: 

They  were  as  pictures  painted  on  the  sky ; 

Till,  suddenly,  aslant,  away  they  shot, 

Like  meteors  changed  from  stars  to  gleams  of  lightning, 

And  struck  upon  the  deep;  where,  in  wild  play, 

Their  quarry  flounder'd,  unsuspecting  harm ; 

AVith  terrible  voracity,  they  plunged 

Their  heads  among  th'  affrighted  shoals,  and  beat 

A  tempest  on  the  surges,  with  their  wings, 

Till  flashing  clouds  of  foam  and  spray  conceal'd  them. 

Nimbly  they  seized  and  secreted  their  prey, 

Alive  and  wriggling  in  the  elastic  net, 

Which  Nature  hung  beneath  their  grasping  beaks  ; 

Till  swoll'n  with  captures,  the  unwieldy  burthen 

Clogg'd  their  slow  flight,  as  heavily  to  land 

These  mighty  hunters  of  the  deep  return'd.' 

There  on  the  cragged  cliffs  they  perch'd  at  ease, 

Gorging  their  hapless  victims  one  by  one; 

Then,  full  and  weary,  side  by  side  they  slept, 

Till  evening  roused  them  to  the  chase  again." 


I  have  reserved  till  the  last  of  these  gleanings  from 
the  Ocean,  one  of  the  most  curious  of  its  phenomena, 
and  one  that,  while  it  vividly  strikes  the  fancy  of  the 
voyager  when  he  beholds  it  for  the  first  time,  fails 
not  to  maintain  its  power  to  interest  after  years  of 
observation  have  made  it  familiar.  I  have  reserved  it 
until  the  last,  because  it  is  peculiar  to  no  sea,  but 
common  to  all,  being  observable  in  the  frozen  ocean 
of  either  pole,  and  under  the  burning  line ;  in  the 
Atlantic  and  in  the  Pacific.  Still  there  seem  to  be 
greater  intensity  and  brilliance  in  the  display  of  the 
phenomenon  in  the  tropical  seas  than  in  colder 
climates.     No  sooner  has  niffht  descended  over  the 


THE    INDIAN    OCEAN.  373 

Ocean,  than  the  whole  surface  is  seen  to  be,  as  it  were, 
composed  of  light,  assuming,  however,  various  forms 
and  aspects.  The  most  usual  appearances,  as  far  as 
they  have  fallen  under  my  own  observation  in  the 
Atlantic,  are  as  follows:  On  looking  over  the  stern, 
when  the  ship  has  steerage- way,  her  track  is  visible 
by  a  line  or  belt  of  light,  not  a  bright  glare,  but  a 
soft,  subdued  yellowish  light,  which  immediately 
under  the  eye  resembles  milk,  or  looks  as  though  the 
keel  stirred  up  a  sediment  of  chalk  which  diffuses 
itself  in  opaque  clouds  through  the  neighbouring 
water,  only  that  it  is  light  and  not  whiteness. 
Scattered  about  this  cloudiness,  and  particularly 
where  the  water  whirls  and  eddies  with  the  motion 
of  the  rudder,  are  seen  innumerable  sparks  of  light 
distinctly  traced  above  the  mass  by  their  brilliancy, 
some  of  which  vanish  and  others  appear,  while  others 
seem  to  remain  visible  for  some  time.  Generally 
speaking,  both  these  phenomena  are  excited  by  the 
action  of  the  vessel  through  the  waves,  though  a  few 
sparks  may  be  observed  on  the  surface  of  the  waves 
around.  But  now  and  then,  when  a  short  sea  is  run- 
ning without  breaking  waves,  there  are  seen  broad 
flashes  of  light  from  the  surface  of  a  wave,  coming 
and  going  like  sudden  fitful  flashes  of  lightning. 
These  may  be  traced  as  far  as  the  sight  can  reach, 
and  in  their  intermittent  gleams  are  very  beautiful : 
they  have  no  connection  with  the  motion  of  the  ship. 
In  a  voyage  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  I  saw  the  water 
in  those  seas  more  splendidly  luminous  than  I  had 
ever  observed  before.  It  was  indeed  a  magnificent 
sight,  to  stand    in  the  fore  part  of  the  vessel  and 

2  1 


374  THE   OCEAN. 

watch  her  breasting  the  waves.  The  mass  of  Avater 
rolled  from  her  bows  as  white  as  milk,  studded  with 
those  innumerable  sparkles  of  blue  light.  The 
nebulosity  instantly  separated  into  small  masses, 
curdled  like  the  clouds  of  marble,  leaving  the  water 
between  of  its  own  dear  blackness  ;  the  clouds  soon 
subsided,  but  the  sparks  remained.  Sometimes  one 
of  these  points,  of  greater  size  and  brilliancy  than 
the  rest,  would  suddenly  burst  into  a  small  cloud  of 
superior  whiteness  to  the  mass,  and  to  be  then  lost 
in  it.  The  curdling  of  the  milky  appearance  into 
clouds  and  masses,  and  its  quick  subsidence,  were 
what  I  had  never  observed  elsewhere. 

Many  very  interesting  observations  have  been  made 
on  these  1  .uninous  appearances,  and  there  seems  no 
doubt  that  to  a  very  large  extent  they  are  produced 
by  living  animals;  but  as  many  species,  varying 
greatly  from  each  other,  and  belonging  even  to  differ- 
ent classes  of  the  animal  kingdom,  have  been  recog- 
nized as  contributing  to  the  luminousness,  we  need 
the  less  wonder  that  there  should  be  variations  in  its 
aspects.  Dr.  Baird,  in  some  quotations  from  a  jour- 
nal kept  during  a  voyage  to  India,  furnishes  some 
interesting  notes  of  the  origin  of  the  light.  The 
writer  speaks  of  "the  broad  bright  flash,  vivid  enough 
to  illuminate  the  sea  for  some  distance  round,  while 
the  most  splendid  globes  of  fire  were  seen  wheeling 
and  careering  in  the  midst  of  it,  and  by  their  bril- 
liancy outshining  the  general  light."  On  drawing  a 
bucket-full  of  water  the  narrator  "  allowed  it  to  re- 
main quiet  for  some  time,  when,  upon  looking  into  it 
iu  a  dark  place,  the  animals  could  be  distinctly  seeu 


THE   INDIAN   OCEAN.  375 

emitting  a  bright  speck  of  light.  Sometimes  this 
was  like  a  sudden  flash,  at  others  appearing  like  an 
oblong  or  round  luminous  point,  which  continued 
bright  for  a  short  time,  like  a  lamp  lit  beneath  the 
water,  and  moving  through  it,  still  possessing  its  defi- 
nite shape,  and  then  suddenly  disappearing.  When 
the  bucket  was  sharply  struck  on  the  outside,  there 
would  appear  at  once  a  great  number  of  these  lumi- 
nous bodies,  which  retained  their  brilliant  appearance 
for  a  few  seconds,  and  then  all  was  dark  again. 
They  evidently  appeared  to  have  it  under  their  own 
will,  giving  out  their  light  frequently  at  various 
depths  in  the  water,  without  any  agitation  being 
given  to  the  bucket.  At  times  might  be  seen  mi- 
nute but  pretty  bright  specks  of  light,  darting  across 
a  piece  of  water,  and  then  vanishing  ;  the  motion  of 
the  light  being  exactly  that  of  the  Cyclops  through 
the  water.  Upon  removing  a  tumbler-full  from  the 
bucket,  and  taking  it  to  the  light,  a  number  of  Cy- 
clops were  accordingly  found  swimming  and  darting 
about  in  it."*  Dr.  Baird  concludes  from  these  facts 
that  the  bright  globes  were  large  Sea-blubbers 
(Medusa),  and  that  the  sparks  were  minute  Entomo- 
straca,  somewhat  similar  in  form  to  those  figured 
in  the  former  part  of  this  volume. 

In  some  highly  interesting  observations  made 
during  a  series  of  years  by  M.  Ehrenberg,  chiefly  in 
the  Red  Sea,  we  find  many  minute  animals  mentioned 
as  luminous;  but  it  is  remarkable  that  after  many 
trials  he  could  not  detect  the  slightest  light  from  anv 
species  of  the  Entomostraca.      The  water  was  found 

*  Zoologist,  1843,  p.  55. 


376  THE    OCEAN. 

to  be  very  full  of  small  slimy  particles  without  any 
definite  form,  which  gave  out  light  when  the  water 
was  stirred.  These  were  probably  Medusae,  torn  but 
yet  living,  as  in  some  cases  fragments  of  these  ani- 
mals are  very  tenacious  of  life.  Several  minute  Me- 
dusae, of  various  species  gave  out  light,  which  seemed 
to  be  more  vivid  on  any  extraordinary  excitement  of 
the  animals.  A  drop  of  sulphuric  acid  being  put 
into  a  glass  of  water,  several  bright  flashes  of  light 
were  seen.  One  of  the  little  animals  was  taken  up  in 
a  drop  of  water  on  the  point  of  a  pen ;  on  a  drop  of 
acid  being  added,  it  gave  out  a  momentary  spark  and 
instantly  died.  Several  new  species  of  luminous 
animals  were  discovered  by  thus  mingling  acid  with 
quantities  of  sea-water.  The  light  of  different  spe- 
cies is  found  to  vary  in  character ;  some  of  the  sparks 
being  yellow  and  dull,  others  clearer  and  whiter,  and 
more  lasting.  The  creature  which  produces  the 
brightest  light  of  all  is  a  kind  of  sea-worm  {Nereis 
ctrrigera) ;  it  lives  in  groups  or  large  masses,  among 
the  branches  of  sea-weed ;  and  when  portions  of  this 
are  thrown  on  shore  by  the  waves,  the  animals  sur- 
vive and  continue  to  shine  very  brilliantly  for  several 
days.  In  our  own  seas,  a  great  deal  of  the  light  is 
owing  to  the  presence  of  an  exceedingly  minute 
animal  (Noctiluca  yniliaris),  which  does  not  exceed 
Toco  Part  °f  an  mcn  m  diameter.  It  consists  of  a 
transparent  globe,  with  a  kind  of  tail  proceeding 
from  one  part  of  the  circumference.  In  the  interior 
may  be  seen  an  oval  nucleus,  not  in  the  centre,  fron? 
which  proceed  numerous  branching  vessels.  The 
luminous  property  appears  to  reside  in  these  vessels 


THE    INDIAN    OCEAN.  377 

which,  while  the  animal  is  alive,  are  seen  to  dilate 
and  contract  with  a  very  rapid  pulsation.  The  little 
globe  is  propelled  in  any  direction  by  a  jerking  mo- 


Noctilcca  Mii.iaris,  greatly  magnified. 

tion  of  the  tail  or  stem ;  and  as  it  is  a  restless  crea- 
ture, it  is  not  a  very  easy  matter  to  obtain  a  good 
sight  of  it  for  observation. 

Several  species  of  fishes  are  undoubtedly  lumi- 
nous: the  Sun-fish  (Cephalus  mola),  when  seen  at  a 
considerable  distance  below  the  surface  in  a  dark 
night,  is  said  to  glow  like  a  cannon-ball  heated  to 
whiteness.  Ehrenberg  found  that  the  whole  skeleton 
of  an  Egyptian  fish  (Ileterotis  Nilotlca)  emitted  such 
a  vivid  light  as  he  never  saw  equalled  by  any  other 
fish,  alive  or  dead.  And  Mr.  F.  D.  Bennett  discovered 
a  new  species  of  Shark,  which  he  named  Squalus 
fulgens,  from  the  whole  surface  of  whose  body  pro- 
ceeded a  greenish  light,  which  rendered  the  animal 
the  most  ghastly  object  imaginable.  But  there  can 
be  no  doubt  that  the  main  source  of  oceanic  efful- 

2i2 


378  THE   OCEAN. 

geace  is  to  be  found  in  the  countless  millions  of 
minute  animals  which  throng  the  sea,  but  which  are 
invisible  without  the  aid  of  high  microscopic  powers. 
And,  truly,  when  from  a  lofty  station  on  board  a  ship 
we  survey  a  space  of  many  square  miles,  and  see 
every  portion  of  its  surface  gleaming  and  flashing  in 
living  light;  or  mark  the  pathway  of  the  vessel 
ploughing  up  from  fathoms  deep  her  radiant  furrow, 
so  filled  with  luminous  points  that,  like  the  milky 
way  in  the  heavens,  all  individuality  is  lost  in  the 
general  blaze,  and  reflect  that  wherever  on  the  broad 
sea  that  furrow  happened  to  be  traced,  the  result 
would  be  the  same  ;  one  can  scarcely  conceive  a  more 
magnificent  idea  of  the  grandeur,  the  unimaginable 
immensity  of  the  Creation  of  God. 


man's  submarine  work.  379 


MAN'S    SUBMARINE    WORK. 


Notwithstanding  the  great  amount  of  informa- 
tion which  has  been  gathered,  through  past  ages, 
concerning  the  ocean  and  its  treasures,  the  sum  total 
compared  with  the  vast  store  as  yet  untouched  is 
almost  trifling.  The  present  century,  so  preeminent 
for  progress  in  all  departments  of  human  investiga- 
tion, has  also  made  great  advancement  in  ocean  lore. 
The  diving-bell  with  its  manifold  improvements, 
has  enabled  us  to  literally  walk  upon  the  bottom  of 
the  sea,  gather,  at  comparative  leisure,  the  wealth 
of  the  mines  of  the  great  deep,  and  examine  its  cav- 
erns and  treasure-houses  with  considerable  security. 
While  formerly,  only  the  shores  and  edges  of  the 
wide  waters  could  be  searched,  now,  the  diver  with 
his  water-proof  armor  boldy  plunges  into  the  waves, 
wherever  the  hope  of  reward  may  present  itself. 

The  simplest  form  of  diving  apparatus,  the  diving 
bell,  resembles  a  huge  bell.  It  may  be  square, 
or  irregular.  It  is  simply  an  air-tight  box  open  at 
one  end.  Seats  are  arranged  on  the  inside  for  the 
convenience  of  those  who  go  down  in  it.  This  box 
is  put  on  the  water,  open  end  down,  and  the  diver 
enters  through  a  small  door  in  the  top  or  side.  lie 
closes  the  door,  which  is  perfectly  air  and  water- 
tight,— gives  the  signal  to  those  outside  who  are  to 


380 


THE  OCEAN. 


manage  the  "  bell,"  and  they  lower  it  into  the  wa- 
ter slowly  until  it  reaches  the  bottom  or  until  the 
diver  makes  a  signal  to  stop.  The  diving  bell  sinks 
by  its  own  weight.  As  it  goes  down,  water  cannot 
get  into  it  because  it  is  full  of  air  which  cannot 
escape.  The  air  however  becomes  very  dense  and,  at 
great  depths,  very  oppressive. 

When  the  bell  touches  the  bottom,  the  diver  gets 
off  the  seat  and  works  around  inside  the  bell  at 
whatever  is  undertaken.  He  can  have  a  light  with 
him,  and  various  tools,  and  can  labor  for  a  short 
time,  as  though  not  under  water.  The  air  however 
soon  becomes  vitiated  by  his  breathing  and  by  the 
burning  of  his  light,  so  that  he  would  suffocate  after 
a  while,  unless  fresh  air  was  supplied.  Furnishing 
fresh  air  by  the  means  of  a  pump  and  tube  connec- 
ting with  the  bell  was  one  of  the  first  improvements. 

It  has  been  found,  in  practice,  however,  that  in 
the  very  best  form  the  diving-bell  is  a  cumbersome, 
clumsy  affair.  The  latest  and  most  approved  model 
is  constructed  in  three  compartments,  one  of  which 
is  filled  with  compressed  air,  and  one  designed  to 
be  filled  with  water,  to  assist  in  sinking  the  machine 
while  the  whole  apparatus  is  under  the  control  of 
the  diver.  But  he  is  limited  in  his  work  to  the 
small  space  bounded  by  the  sides  of  the  bell.  As  this 
heavy  sub-marine  house  cannot  be  moved,  in  a  later- 
al direction,  without  great  trouble  and  as  the  move- 
ments of  the  diver  is  so  closely  circumscribed  as 
to  render  him  useless  in  many  kinds  of  submarine 
work,  a  sort  of  wTater-proof  armor  has  been  inven- 
ted which  seems  to  answer  every  purpose. 


MAN'S   SUBMARINE    WORK.  381 

At  first  this  armor  was  made  of  cloth  impervi- 
ous to  wafer,  but  it  soon  wore  out  or  became  punc- 
tured by  sharp  rocks  or  nails  about  a  wreck  so  as 
to  admit  water,  and  become  useless.  The  discov- 
ery of  India-rubber  and  the  great  improvements  in 
working  iron  and  steel  have  made  it  possible  to  con- 
struct a  diving  armor  which  is  nearly  perfect.  It 
can  be  put  on  in  a  few  minutes — the  flexible  joints 
allowing  great  freedom  to  the  diver.  The  mask  for 
the  face  and  head  can  be  opened  and  closed  in  a  mo- 
ment, and  the  diver,  carries  down  with  him  a  supply 
of  air  in  a  light  steel  chest  or  knapsack  on  his 
shoulders.  This  supply  is  kept  fresh  and  full,  by 
means  of  a  pipe  communicating  with  a  pump  above. 
The  diver  takes  between  hislip3  a  tube  connecting 
with  the  air  chamber,  and  breathes  as  naturally  as 
if  on  land.  The  air  which  escapes  from  his  lungs 
at  each  expiration  rises  to  the  surface  in  bubbles 
just  as  regular  as  his  breathing,  giving  notice  to 
those  above  that  the  diver  is  alive.  Should  the  air 
bubbles  cease  to  rise,  that  would  be  evidence  that 
he  had  stopped  breathing,  and  he  would  be  instant- 
ly drawn  up  to  the  surface  by  means  of  a  cord 
which  is  attached  to  him  for  that  purpose.  Should 
the  breathing  as  shown  by  the  bubbles  be  irregular, 
then  it  would  be  evidence  that  the  diver  was  in 
some  trouble. 

The  steel  air-chamber  is  admirably  contrived  for 
the  purpose.  No  matter  how  fast  the  pump  above 
is  operated,  it  does  not  affect  the  diver.  He  can  draw 
from  his  air-reservoir  at  his  convenience,  and  when 
he  stops  drawing,  no  air  can  escape,  for  a  valve  is 


382  THE   OCEAN. 

arranged  to  prevent  it,  only  as  wanted  by  the  diver. 
Equipped  with  his  ingenious  paraphernalia  the  diver 
roams  about  the  bottom  of  the  ocean  almost  at  pleas- 
ure. He  has  great  glass  eyes  in  his  mask,  which 
covers  his  head  and  face,  and  through  them  he  can 
see  quite  plainly  unless  the  water  is  very  muddy  or 
very  deep.  In  such  cases  the  diver  is  provided  with 
an  electric  lamp  which  burns  under  water  and  gives 
a  brilliant  light.  He  can  enter  the  cabin  of  a  sun- 
ken ship,  gather  up  the  treasures  found  there,  and 
brine  them  to  the  surface.  When  the  articles  are 
too  heavy  to  permit  that,  he  fastens  on  the  tackling 
necessary  to  raise  them  by  machinery. 

In  exploring  sunken  wrecks,  in  visiting  the  holds 
and  cabins  of  vessels  in  search  of  valuables,  the 
diver  frequently  meets  with  strange  adventures, 
and  views  scenes  fearful  enough  to  make  the  stout- 
est heart  quail.  The  bodies  of  the  drowned,  are 
sometimes  disturbed  by  the  agitation  of  the  water, 
as  he  moves  about,  and  come  towards  him  as  if  to 
clutch  him  in  their  slimy  embrace.  He  pushes  them 
one  side,  only  to  have  them  return  to  him  again 
with  perhaps  others  which  are  caused  to  float  by 
the  commotion.  Sometimes  he  is  attacked  by  fero- 
cious sea  monsters  and  is  obliged  to  stop  work  and 
defend  himself,  as  best  he  can,  but  these  incidents 
do  not  hinder  the  brave  men  in  the  prosecution  of 
their  work.  The  uses  of  the  diving  armor  are  con- 
stantly multiplied.  The  bottom  of  vessels  are  now 
examined,  scraped  and  mended  without  being  put 
on  the  dry  dock.  The  foundations  for  bridges  are 
surveyed  and  numerous  other  purposes  subserved 


MAN'S   SUBMARINE    WORK.  383 

which  readily  suggest  themselves  to  careful  readers. 

But,  there  is  a  limit  to  the  field  of  the  most 
expert  diver,  and  with  the  best  of  preparation.  As 
he  descends  in  the  water,the  pressure  upon  him 
constantly  increases,  it  is  estimated,  at  the  rate  of 
one  atmosphere  for  every  thirty-two  feet  of  depth, 
so  when  he  is  down  thirty -two  feet,  he  is  subjected 
to  a  pressure  of  two  atmospheres;  at  sixty-four  feet 
the  pressure  is  three  atmospheres  and  so  on.  When 
he  reaches  a  depth  of  two  hunderd  feet  the  press- 
ure is  so  great  that  he  becomes  dizzy,  the  blood 
gushes  from  his  nostrils  and  he  becomes  insensible. 
It  is  found  that  the  depth  of  one  hundred  and  eighty 
feet  is  the  lowest  in  which  a  diver  can  operate  with 
success. 

The  ocean  has  always  been  a  formidable  barrier 
obstructing  man's  progress  in  subduing  Earth,  but 
modern  thought,  industry  and  science  are  daily 
overcoming  difficulties  seemingly  insurmountable. 

Human  ingenuity  has  made  a  pathway  for  the 
lightning  through  the  midst  of  the  deep,  and  thus, 
at  one  gigantic  sweep  annihilated  the  world  of  wa- 
ters which  so  long  had  hindered  the  intercourse  of 
nations.  How  simple  the  matter  when  once  accom- 
plished. A  wire  laid  upon  the  bottom  of  the  sea, 
and  a  thimble  full  of  acid,  and  time  and  distance 
and  oceans  are  as  nothing. 

Such  vast  results  have  followed  the  achievement 
of  laying  the  Atlantic  cable,  and  the  public  heart 
was  so  thrilled  with  the  success,  that  cable  and 
ocean  have  ever  since  seemed  to  be  parts  of  each 
other.  One  bears  precious  friends,  goods,  wares  and 


384  THE    OCEAN. 

merchandise  between  continents  isles  and  nations, 
the  other  carries  the  no  less  precious,  but  impond- 
erable, wealth  of  messages  from  land  to  land. 

The  first  attempt  to  lay  the  cable,  in  the  year 
1857, was  a  failure,  because  the  wire  parted  and 
the  vessel  returned  with  a  sorrowful  but  not  dis- 
heartened company.  The  next  effort  was  the 
following  year,  with  a  stronger  cable  aud  better 
machinery  for  "paying  "  it  out.  The  cable  was 
seven  strands  of  wire  made  into  a  rope  and  covered 
with  several  thicknesses  of  substances  designed  to 
keep  the  wTater  from  reaching  the  metallic  wires 
which  conducted  the  electricity.  When  finished  it 
weighed  nearly  two  thousand  pounds  to  the  mile 
in  length  and  was  so  strong  that  six  miles  of  it 
could  be  drawn  straight  in  water.  The  number 
of  cables  will  increase  as  fast  as  needed. 

In  1873  there  were  three  in  full  operation,  and 
they  probably  will  last  many  years.  It  requires 
but  a  small  quantity  of  electricity  to  operate  them. 

The  signals  used  in  ocean  telegraphy  differ  from 
those  used  for  land  lines.  On  the  French  line 
small  flashes  of  light  are  reflected  on  a  mirror 
and  serve  the  purpose.  The  small  amount  of  elec- 
tricity used  on  long  cables  obviates  the  danger  of 
injury  to  the  wires,  by  an  overcharge.  Science 
has  also  enabled  the  electrician,  in  case  of  a  break 
in  the  wire,  to  tell  almost  its  exact  place,to  which 
a  vessel  can  be  sent  to  make  repairs.  Thus  it  is 
that  the  ocean  is  subjected  to  man's  dominion  day 
by  day. 

THE  END. 


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